The Effects of a Physical Activity Program on Behavioral Development in Young Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Case-Based Intervention Study

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a physical activity program on behavioral development in young children with developmental disabilities using a case-based intervention approach. The participants were four young children with developmental disabilities enrolled in an early childhood education institution. The physical activity program, which consisted of a baby physical activity program and an aquatic activity program, was implemented three times per week for 16 weeks. Behavioral development was assessed before and after the intervention using a behavior development checklist adapted from the KISE developmental scale. The checklist included six domains: independent living behavior, social–emotional behavior, language behavior, cognitive behavior, gross motor behavior, and fine motor behavior. A paired-samples t-test was conducted to analyze differences between pretest and posttest scores. The results indicated statistically significant improvements in key behavioral domains, while positive improvement trends were observed in other domains following the intervention. These findings suggest that the physical activity program may have a positive effect on the overall behavioral development of young children with developmental disabilities. This study highlights the educational value of structured physical activity programs as an effective intervention strategy for supporting the holistic development of young children with developmental disabilities in early childhood education settings.