O.A. Medvedeva, Ph.D.
G.D. Aleksan’yants, professor, Dr.Med.
Kuban state university of physical education, sports and tourism, Krasnodar

Keywords: auditory deprivation, second childhood period, somatotype, physical fitness level.

Introduction. Now the dynamic development of adaptive physical culture and motor recreation among persons with heath deviations is a common tendency throughout the world. The meaning and image level of achievements of athletes with disabilities increase at such largest international forums as European and world championships, Paralympic, Delphic and Surdolympic games [2].

According to some authors, the compensation of impaired functions directly depends on the level of development of physical qualities, differentiation of spatial and temporal movement characteristics. Child’s somatotype which provides the specificity of functioning of his functional systems is important for efficiency of the adaptation process of children with disabilities [1,5].

At the stage of early sports specialization it is extremely important to determine somatic type and level of motor abilities to estimate the long-term sports potential, and in the phase of improvement of sports skills – to consider the fitness shape and somatotype of a young athlete, which will contribute to an adequate assessment of the correspondence of his morphofunctional status to the model characteristics of adaptive sport [3, 4]. In this regard the problem of the comprehensive assessment of morphological and functional characteristics of children with different degrees of auditory deprivation is relevant.

The purpose of the study was to determine the level of physical fitness of children of the second childhood period with auditory deprivation depending on somatotypes and variants of biological development.

Materials and methods. The study involved 144 schoolchildren of the second childhood period. Of these, 97 were students of the State special (correctional) educational institution for students (pupils) with developmental deviations - a boarding school of the I-II type of the Krasnodar territory: 48 deaf ones suffering from bilateral sensorineural deafness (27 boys and 21 girls), 49 hearing-impaired ones suffering from bilateral sensorineural hearing loss of the III-IV stage (24 boys and 25 girls) and 47 virtually healthy ones (25 boys and 22 girls), students of the Municipal educational institution secondary school № 43 of the city of Krasnodar.

Virtually healthy children and students with different degrees of auditory deprivation participated in the study on a voluntary basis, parents (guardians) and schools management provided a written informed consent.

The level of motor abilities was determined by the results of standard test exercises: standing long jump (cm), shuttle run (3х10m, s).

Anthropometric parameters were taken by the classical method of V.V. Bunak and the original method of R.N. Dorokhov (2010) [6]. The subjects were combined into a single sex and age group and divided according to the overall level of variation (OLV) into microsomal (MiS), mesosomal (MeS) and macrosomal (MaS) somatotypes (ST). Options of biological development (OD) were assessed by means of the maturity index with the following gradation: distended (OD «С»), banal (OD «В») and shortened (OD «А») development options.

Study results were processed by the method of variation statistics defining mean value (М), mean error of the mean (m), indicator of significance of differences in the studied groups. The statistical analysis data were assessed using the Student’s t-test, and the significance level was of 95% (р<0.05). All the values described in the study had distribution close to normal. The closeness of connection between the studied parameters was established using correlation analysis along with the calculation of the Pearson coefficient. Microsoft Excel software was used for statistical processing.

 Results and discussion. When analyzing the standing long jump parameters in the group of boys the lower values were found with the deaf pupils in comparison to virtually healthy (р_1-3<0.001) and hearing-impaired ones (р_2-3<0.001) (Table 1). High speed and strength abilities were found in the groups of hearing boys and ones with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, with no significant differences between the results of these groups found (р_1-2>0.05).

In the group of girls the higher values were observed with the virtually healthy schoolgirls in comparison to their peers with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (р_1-2<0.05) and deafness (р_1-3<0.01) that showed a significantly lower level of motor abilities. However, the average data of the speed and strength abilities of the girls in all groups were lower than those of the boys.

Comparative analysis of the standing long jump parameters in the groups of virtually healthy children and those with different degrees of auditory deprivation showed a tendency to a lower level of speed and strength abilities in the students with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and in the girls with hearing loss, indicating slowed down central movement regulation, reduced motor mobility and ability of spatial inference under the auditory deprivation conditions.

Table 1. Speed and strength abilities of the individuals of the studied groups, М±m

Note. Here and in Table 3:

р_1-2 – significance of differences between virtually healthy children and those hearing-impaired; 

р_1-3 – significance of differences between virtually healthy pupils and their deaf peers;

р_2-3 – significance of differences between hearing-impaired and deaf schoolchildren;

р_g-b – significance of sex-related differences within the group.

As seen from the findings, strong coordinating abilities were observed in the virtually healthy schoolchildren (Table 2). Shuttle run parameters of hearing-impaired and deaf boys were significantly lower in comparison with their virtually healthy peers (р_1-2<0.001; р_1-3<0.001). The study of the shuttle run indicators of the girls showed the identical pattern. In addition, the analysis of the coordinating abilities by sex revealed a tendency to increase of the mean values of shuttle run of the girls in the studied groups as compared to the boys.

Table 2. Coordinating abilities of the studied groups, М±m

Comparative analysis of the shuttle run parameters of virtually healthy children and those with different degrees of auditory deprivation revealed a low level of coordinating abilities of pupils with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and deafness, indicating slowed down adaptive-compensatory mechanisms of sensorimotor organization, reduced capacity of spatial-temporal prediction.

The findings of the estimated level of speed and strength abilities of the studied groups were as follows (Figure 1): among virtually healthy children 7.6% had a satisfactory mark for the jump, the rest were rated as good and excellent (46.2% each). Among the pupils with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss most children (45.7%) were rated «4» (out of 5). In the group of deaf children the low level of motor abilities was observed in most cases (50.0%).

Figure 1. The distribution of children of secondary and correctional schools in terms of their level of speed and strength abilities

As seen from the study of the level of coordinating abilities (Figure 2), 69.2% of secondary school children had the highest rating in shuttle run and only 30.8% were rated as good. In the group of pupils with auditory deprivation the vast majority was rated as good in shuttle run: 62.9% – children with hearing loss and 60.5% – their peers with deafness.

Figure 2. The distribution of children of secondary and correctional schools in terms of their level of coordinating abilities

Thus, a greater percentage of physical fitness indicators (43.9% in standing long jump; 61.7% in shuttle run) of children with auditory deprivation corresponded to good rating. In the rest of cases the pupils with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss tended to be rated excellent, the ones with bilateral sensorineural deafness - satisfactory.

The nature of the interaction of the human body with the environment at different stages of ontogenesis is determined by morphological and functional maturity of the physiological systems and the adequacy of the  affecting environmental factors to the functional capabilities of the body. In this regard, both functional state of the body, its adaptive capabilities and individual characteristics of physical development should be taken into consideration in the processes of special education, correctional physical education, rehabilitation and social adaptation of children with different degrees of auditory deprivation [8].

Analysis of anthropometric material showed that in case of distribution of the hearing-impaired testees in terms of nano-megalosomic variation 24.6% belonged to MiS, 46.6% - to MeS, 28.8% - to MaS ST.

Higher standing long jump indicators were identified in children of the MaS type as compared with the schoolchildren of the MeS (р_2-3<0.05) and MiS ST (р_1-3<0.01) (Table 3). In addition, the ones with mesosomic and microsomic somatotypes also had significant differences in the level of development of speed and strength abilities (р_1-2<0.05), and the data of the pupils of the MiS type were within the threshold of the age norm.

Analysis of ST interconnections and the shuttle run data revealed a similar pattern. Children from the correctional school of the I – II type with the MaS level of variation had the speed higher than that of the students of the MeS (р_2-3<0.05) and MiS (р_1-3<0.01) types.

Table 3. Physical fitness level of children of second childhood period with auditory deprivation in view of somatotype, М±m

Note. р1-2 – significance of differences between children of microsomic and mesosomic types;

р_1-3 – significance of differences between children of microsomic and macrosomic somatotypes;

р_2-3 – significance of differences between children of mesosomic and macrosomic types.

However, somatodiagnostics cannot be limited solely to defining the variation type with respect to OLV. It is necessary to determine the OD of a child, so that more homogeneous groups could be formed while organizing correctional physical education, rehabilitation and social adaptation of children with different degrees of hearing impairment with the same course of growth phases and the growth period.

Upon analyzing the OD data of the studied contingent it was found that the majority of children with auditory deprivation (43.8%) had the OD of «В» type. With the rest of the hearing-impaired pupils deviations from normal OD were detected both towards retardation (37.0%) and acceleration (19.2%).

When analyzing the standing long jump indicators the high level of motor abilities was shown by the children of the OD of «А» type as compared with the pupils of the «В» (р_2-3<0.05) and «С» (р_1-3<0.05) types of the OD (Table 4). A similar trend was observed while studying the shuttle run results: children with auditory deprivation of the «А» type of the OD had a higher speed than the pupils with the «В» (р_2-3<0.05) and «С»  (р_1-3<0.05) types.

Table 4. Physical fitness level of children of second childhood period with auditory deprivation in view of OD, М±m

Note. р_1-2 – significance of differences between children of banal and distended development options; 

р_1-3 – significance of differences between growth retardants and early developers;

р_2-3 – significance of differences between pupils of the regular and accelerated development options.

The interconnections of somatotypes and physical fitness levels of children of the second childhood period with different degrees of auditory deprivation were assessed using the correlation analysis which revealed that the parameters of speed and strength and coordinating abilities are related to the body type. Standing long jump parameters have a positive correlation with somatotype (Table 5), and shuttle run parameters have a negative correlation with it.

Table 5. Correlation between somatotypes and physical fitness parameters of children with auditory deprivation

Note. * – significance of the interconnections by the level of significance р<0.05.

Thus, according to the correlation data, MaS ST representatives had higher values in standing long jump and high speed in shuttle run compared with the children of the MeS and MiS types. Physical fitness parameters of the pupils of the MeS type usually occupy an intermediate position between the results of their peers of the MaS and MiS levels of variation. The children of the MiS type have increased time in shuttle run and a trend toward low values in standing long jump.  

Conclusions

1. Children with bilateral sensorineural deafness and girls with hearing loss have lower levels of speed and strength abilities compared to their peers and hearing-impaired boys, indicating that the central movement regulation mechanisms are slowed down, motor mobility and ability of spatial representations are reduced under the auditory deprivation condition.

2. Children with auditory deprivation have a low level of coordinating abilities as compared to virtually healthy peers, indicating slowed down adaptive-compensatory mechanisms of the sensorimotor organization, reduced capacity of spatial-temporal prediction.

3. Most of the pupils with auditory deprivation were ranked good regarding their speed and strength (45.7% of the hearing-impaired and 42.1% of the deaf) and coordinating (62.9% of the hearing-impaired and 60.5% of the deaf children) abilities. The remaining pupils with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss tended to be ranked excellent, and the pupils with bilateral sensorineural deafness - satisfactory.

4. The representatives of the MaS ST had higher values of standing long jump and high speed in shuttle run as compared to the children of the MeS and MiS types. Physical fitness parameters of the pupils of the MeS somatotype usually occupied an intermediate position between the results of the peers of the MaS and MiS types. Children of the MiS type had increased shuttle run time and a tendency towards low results in standing long jump.

Hence, morphological characteristics and physical fitness of children of the second childhood period having auditory deprivation should be taken into account to improve the level of processes of special education, correctional physical education, rehabilitation and social adaptation of children with different degrees of hearing impairment.

References

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Corresponding author: alexanyanc@mail.ru, olesia3006@rambler.ru