Objective: Gross motor activities ability or disability influence on children cognitive performance and their social behavior. This study is aimed to investigation the effect of gross motor activities on attention process (sustained attention, attention shift) of boy students with Down syndrome who are 8 – 12 years old.
Materials & Methods: In this interventional and experimental study, 26 boy students with Down syndrome from 4 schools (Shahid Beheshti, Ahya, Peydayesh and Piroozi) were selected and administered by attention tests(sustained attention , attention shift) and Lincoln Oseretsky development scale. Then they were assigned into two groups randomly. Intervention group received gross motor activities programs for 8 weeks (2 times in a week). Then two groups were administered by attention tests and Lincoln Oseretsky development scale again. Data were analyzed by using paired T-test and Independent T- test.
Results: There was no significant difference in control group in attention tests between before and after intervention (sustained attention P=0.654, attention shift P=0.163) and Oseretsky development scale (P=0.337), but significant differences were observed in intervention group (P<0.001). Score of decreasing interruption of task revealed that there were significant differences in intervention (P<0.001) and control group (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Gross motor activities interventions significantly affect on the process of attention (sustained attention , shift attention) in students with Down syndrome.