Functional Limitations Reported Among U.S. Adults With Intellectual Disability Participating in Special Olympics: A Comparative Analysis to the General Population.

Abstract

The Washington Group Short Set on Functioning (WG-SS) allows for the identification of functional limitations across severity levels. Incorporating the WG-SS into Special Olympics (SO) surveys serves to understand functional support needs and inform SO programming for people with intellectual disability. This study examined functioning using both a restrictive and a broad definition of limitation among 525 U.S. SO athletes who completed an online survey in 2022. Self- and proxy-reported outcomes were compared to National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) estimates. Nearly a quarter of SO athletes (24.2%) reported any functional limitation under the restricted definition, while over three quarters (82.1%) reported limitations under the broad definition. Differences emerged between self- and proxy-reported data. Compared with NHIS age-adjusted estimates, SO athletes had higher prevalence ratios across all six domains, including self-care (PR = 12.93) and communication (PR = 11.21). These findings underscore functional diversity among SO athletes and inform programming and disability surveillance.