Adapted sport and occupation: role of the occupational therapist

Navarrete Moriones, Pedro José; Cruz Perdomo, Jaqueline

doi:10.1590/2526-8910.ctoAO395838413

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Review Article • Cad. Bras. Ter. Ocup. 33 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/2526-8910.ctoAO395838412 linkcopy

Adapted sport and occupation: role of the occupational therapist

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Introduction Adapted sport can be seen as a human occupation, in which rules are created or modified in an accessible way for people with disabilities. The role of occupational therapy (is little visible in recognizing sport as an occupation for people with disabilities, despite the fact that there is a strong relationship between occupational therapy, occupation and disability in other fields of action such as health, education or work.

Objective The aim of the article was to map the available evidence, identifying gaps in research and providing an overview of the role of the occupational therapist in adapted sport.

Methods A search for publications was carried out on the Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, EBSCO host, OT seeker and Google Scholar databases in the period 2012 to 2022. All scientific and grey literature documents with full text access were considered.

Results 27 articles were selected and five analytical categories were developed in relation to the work of occupational therapy in adapted sport. Considering the analytical categories, three perspectives of professional practice are questioned: the first one focuses on the purpose and use of the occupation of adapted sport in occupational therapy, the second on the practice of occupational therapy with adapted sports and the third on the work procedures of the occupational therapist with adapted sport.

Conclusion It has been shown that the role of occupational therapy in adapted sport not only serves as a fundamental tool for the physical and mental rehabilitation of people with disabilities, but also promotes the dignification of their rights and facilitates their social inclusion.

Keywords:
Occupational Therapy; Disabled Persons; Sports for Persons with Disabilities; Sports; Activities of Daily Living

Year Country Author	Títle	Type of study	Key words	Categories: Role of the occupational therapy’	Conclusions
2013 Spain Vilouta, D	Social participation in the community in people with severe mental disorders through sport	Grey literature, thesis	Mental health, sport, social participation, community and occupational therapy	Mental health interventions.	There is evidence of improved participation in the community through sport, as this is a significant occupation for the study participants, thereby achieving a reduction in stigma and improvement in their occupational performance.
2013 Spain Sanchez, M	Perception of sport and people with intellectual disabilities.	Grey literature, thesis	Occupational Therapy, Intellectual Disability and Sport.	Mental health interventions.	It allows us to reflect on the importance of moving forward by listening to the people involved in order to meet their needs and interests and thus promote equal opportunities in sport.
2013 Guatemala Véliz, J	Sport and recreation as effective occupational therapy techniques in the treatment of anxiety disorders in adolescents deprived of liberty at the provisional juvenile detention center (CEJUDEP)	Grey literature, thesis	N/A	Mental health interventions.	The effectiveness of sport and recreation in reducing anxiety is proven as alternative occupational therapy techniques.
2014 Spain Bacelar, S	Sport and quality of life in people with physical disabilities	Grey literature, thesis	Occupational Therapy, Physical Disability, Quality of Life and Sport.	Main occupation	It argues the need to include sports activities in occupational therapy intervention, in order to promote health, well-being and social participation.
2015 Spain Pita Cabana, E	Boccia as a means of enhancing communication and interaction skills in a Resource Centre for People with Disabilities	Grey literature, thesis	Sport, Disability.	Main occupation	The application of physical, body and sports activities as therapeutic tools is used by professionals in education, sports and health, among others, and occupational therapists can also use it.
2015 Taiwan Ming-De, Chen. et al.	The effectiveness of racket-sport intervention on visual perception and executive functions in children with mild intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning	Cases and Controls	visual perception, executive function, table tennis, intellectual disabilities	Main occupation	Table tennis could be considered as a therapy option when treating cognitive problems/perceptual problems in children with mild intellectual disability and borderline intellectual functioning.
2016 Spain Ramirez, S	Comparative study of occupational therapist competencies in physical activity and sport	Grey literature, thesis	Occupational therapy, physical activity, adapted sport, games, leisure	Main occupation	It is necessary to promote this occupation for people with disabilities, referring to the right to be able to satisfy the basic needs of each individual and to have possibilities and opportunities for participation, promoting equity and equality in access to sports practice.
2016 Spain Pastorini, F	Occupational therapy Intervention through physical activity to improve the cognitive skills of a person with a stroke	Grey literature, thesis	occupational therapy, physical exercise, sport, stroke, rehabilitation.	Rehabilitation means	This study supports the effectiveness of physical activity intervention, which aimed to improve cognitive abilities through physical activity.
2017 Canadá Côté-Leclerc, F. et al.	How does playing adapted sports affect quality of life of people with mobility limitations? Results from a mixed-method sequential explanatory study.	Mixed article	Quality of Life Index, Para sports, Well-being, Life satisfaction, Sense of belonging, Wheelchair users	Main occupation	Participation in adaptive sports was found to have positive effects on self-esteem, self-efficacy, sense of belonging, participation in meaningful activities, society's attitude towards people with mobility limitations, and physical well-being. However, participants reported that this participation, especially at higher levels, had a negative impact on their social life.
2017 Ireland Moloney, L. et al.	Experiences of men with psychosis participating in a community-based football programme	Exploratory qualitative	Mental health, Football, Recovery, Psychosis, Physical activity, Model of human occupation	Mental health interventions.	It proves the long-term feasibility of football as a therapeutic means in the delivery of occupational therapy mental health services. The findings could help to promote the routine use of sport-based interventions in mental health services.
2017 Brazil Alves, A. et al	Cross-cultural adaptation of the assistive technology device – Predisposition assessment (ATD PA) for use in Brazil (ATD PA Br)	Cross-cultural adaptation	Assistive technology device; assistive technology; outcome measures; usability; Matching Person and Technology Model; translation	Adaptations and assistive technology.	ATD PA Br will support professionals and people with disabilities in Brazil to better select AT Devices according to customer needs.
2018 United States Host, A. et al.	Occupational Therapy’s Role in Sport: A Website on Promotion and Education for occupational therapists and Coaches.	Grey literature, thesis	N/A	Rehabilitation means	An interdisciplinary approach involving occupational therapy with sports-related injuries may bring benefits to aid in the recovery of athletes.
2019 South Africa Lorenzo, T. et al	Mapping participation of disabled youth in sport and other free-time activities to facilitate their livelihoods development	Exploratory qualitative	Community-based rehabilitation, disabled youth, sport and leisure, community participation, social inclusion, employability, occupational therapy	Main occupation	Occupational therapists promote social and life skills developed through sport and leisure activities that can enable the development of livelihoods for all young people.
2019 Spain Peralta, L.	Occupational therapy intervention program for homeless people with severe mental disorders through sport.	Grey literature, thesis	Football, serious mental illness, homelessness, social participation, motivation, values, quality of life, leisure and free time.	Mental health interventions.	There is little bibliography in the area of occupational therapy, due to the limited research carried out that proves its psychosocial benefits. This has made it difficult to find specific bibliographic sources on occupational therapy, having to resort to other areas of rehabilitation outside our discipline.
2020 United Kingdom Moss, P. et al	Children and young people’s perspectives and experiences of a community wheelchair basketball club and its impact on daily life	Exploratory qualitative	Wheelchair basketball, disability sport, occupational therapy, reverse integration	Main occupation	The findings have implications at individual, organizational and societal levels, and provide some justification for the role of occupational therapy in disability sport.
2020 Australia Costalonga, D. et al.	Sport as a Leisure Occupation in Occupational Therapy Literature: A Scoping Review.	Scoping review	Ocuppational therapy, sports.	Leisure and free time.	There are opportunities to research sport as a leisure occupation and its importance in occupational therapy practice.
2020 Brazil da Silva, I. et al.	Identification of assistive technologies in Paralympic sports: contributions and barriers	Qualitative descriptive exploratory	Occupational Therapy, Self-Help Devices, Disabled Persons, Sports Medicine, Social Participation.	Adaptations and assistive technology.	The items considered essential for the use of AT, as well as user satisfaction and the assistance provided, can act as barriers or facilitators for the practice of Para Sports. It is noteworthy that there are still few studies that focus on Assistive Technologies and Paralympic sport.
2020 Spain Diaz, R.	Occupational Therapy and 3D adaptations in adapted sport: Canoeing. A case of amputation of the phalanges of the hand	Grey literature, thesis	Occupational therapy, adapted sport, adapted canoeing, adapted physical activity, 3D adaptations, amputation of upper phalanges.	Adaptations and assistive technology.	Occupational therapy and sport can go hand in hand, and in conjunction with new technologies such as 3D printers, which help in the implementation of new versatile and affordable support products. The design of adaptations is part of the occupational therapist’s skills, improving the quality of life in the practice of adapted sport, thus opening up an interesting and novel field of professional action.
2021 Brazil Sousa et al.	Identification of occupational roles in adapted sports athletes	Quantitative observational cross-sectional.	Athletes. Sports for People with Disabilities; Roles Performance; Occupational Therapy; Analysis and Task Performance	Main occupation	Occupational therapy can contribute in the field of sport and para-sport in addition to skills training, prescription, preparation and training of assisted technologies, becoming a critical professional area for the constitution of a multidisciplinary team as a catalyst for occupational performance and the strengthening of these support networks.
2021 Brazil Marques, M. et al.	Investigating environmental factors and Paralympic sports: an analytical study	Qualitative analytical	Assistive technology; Para Sport; participation; occupational therapy; assessment; people with disabilities	Adaptations and assistive technology.	This study showed the predominance of low-income para-athletes and that environmental factors such as access to public policy benefits can be a barrier to participation in para-sports. Furthermore, the technology and services provided should act as facilitators of para-sport performance.
2021 Brazil Teixeira, G. et al.	Occupational therapy intervention in Paralympic sport: a look at low-cost assistive technology for wheelchair rugby	Quantitative descriptive explanatory case study	Assistive technology; Para Sport; participation; occupational therapy; assessment; people with disabilities	Adaptations and assistive technology.	The study achieved its objectives and the use of a conceptual model, standardized assessments and joint work with athletes and their coaches were essential. It is hoped that the baseline presented in this study can be used in future research in the fields of AT or Para Sports.
2021 Canada Mavritsakis, O. et al.	Up on the hill: the experiences of adaptive snow sports	Exploratory qualitative	Sports for persons with disabilities; adaptive snow sports; social participation; social environment; sport equipment	Adaptations and assistive technology.	Adaptive snow sports provide people with disabilities with opportunities to build community, engage in new and meaningful experiences, and overcome challenges.
2021 United Kingdom Pettican, A. et al.	An occupational justice perspective on playing football and living with mental distress	Exploratory qualitative	Occupational science; Complexity; Football; Physical activity; Sport; Occupational justice	Mental health interventions.	The study's findings reveal tensions, nuances and subtleties that exist in relation to the reciprocal relationship between playing football and people's health and wellbeing. The complexity of enabling participation in sport and physical activity among marginalised groups, such as people experiencing mental distress, is highlighted.
2022 United Kingdom Pettican, A. et al.	Levelling the playing field: Exploring inequalities and exclusions with a community-based football league for people with experience of mental distress	Exploratory qualitative	football, health inequalities, mental distress, occupational marginalisation, occupational therapy, participatory action research, physical (in)activity, sport	Mental health interventions.	Occupational therapists can address experiences of occupational marginalization in collaboration with players and coaches in community sport projects.
2022 Spain Gato, A.	The influence of occupational therapy on adapted sports leisure	Grey literature, thesis	adapted physical activity, leisure, occupational therapy, occupational therapist, acquired physical disability.	Leisure and free time.	Occupational therapy plays a fundamental role in providing access to sports leisure for people with disabilities, since the participation of this group is compromised by the lack of resources and accessibility.
2022 Spain Egaña, O.	Occupational therapy intervention project for non-suicidal self-harming behaviors in adolescents through the sport of climbing	Grey literature, thesis	N/A	Mental health interventions.	It presents a novel intervention programme for people with self-harming habits, as no similar programme has been found to date. This combines sport with the physical and mental health of adolescents with emotional vulnerability and few resources for managing emotions.
2022 Brazil Lopes, L. et al.	Assistive technology for Para-badminton athletes: the application of the matching person and technology theoretical model in occupational therapy	Mixed case study	Assistive technology; assessment; occupational therapy; Para sport; participation; people with disabilities.	Adaptations and assistive technology.	The role of occupational therapy in Para Sports, based on a theoretical model, may contribute to the successful use of AT and therefore to better performance of Para athletes. Studies with different populations are needed to improve knowledge in the area.

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Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Departamento de Terapia Ocupacional Rodovia Washington Luis, Km 235, Caixa Postal 676, CEP: , 13565-905, São Carlos, SP - Brasil, Tel.: 55-16-3361-8749 - São Carlos - SP - Brazil
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[1] Note. Own authorship.