Effect of the Complex Exercises in Hemsball on Attention and Coordinative Skills of Adolescents with Hearing Loss

Abstract

Introduction: In this study the objective was to determine the effects of the complex exercises in hemsball on the attention and coordinative skills among adolescents with hearing loss.Method: 20 hearing-impaired students were divided into two groups as experimental and control. A training program consisting of the complex exercises in hemsball was applied to adolescents with hearing loss for one hour, three days per week, for a period of 10 weeks. Bourdon Attention Test, Simple Reaction Time Test and balance test of Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Profiency (BOT-2) motor competence sub-items and Alternate Hand Wall Toss Test for hand-eye coordination measurements were utilized for data collection. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics and two factor analysis of variance for repeated measures were used for the difference between pre-test and post-test average values for each group.Findings: While significant effect of complex exercises in hemsball on attention, hand-eye coordination, balance and reaction test (dominant hand) was observed in the experimental group, no significant difference was noted in the mean values of the reaction test (non-dominant hand).Discussion: It is especially important to develop and promote exercise programs tailored to the needs of adolescents with hearing loss with attention and coordination issues.Conclusion: The complex hemsball exercises indicated in this study should be considered as an alternative game for adolescent with hearing loss in terms of attention, focus and concentration, hand-eye-foot coordination, balance and reaction time.