Paralympics, yet another question about classification...

Is how they presented it on the not so hot C4 coverage. Within that with my own Ninja Google skills I found out that one of our much celebrated winners has Aspergers; within that less extreme side of the spectrum, there are some people with little or no physical or mental barrier to their sport above people without the condition.

In fact it could help their drive, determination and focus.

And so, in that context I would argue that Bi Polar should be included in the paralympics (as well as other conditions)

Thoughts on a postcard?

Oh and for the record, I don't think the Autistic spectrum should necessarily qualify as a carte blanche 'learning disability', I think there are many more 'stupid' people in the UK, that really are dim and very narrow minded, or just sheltered.

How the Paralympics check intellectual disability

All competitors in these sport classes have to fulfil the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of intellectual disability:

• An IQ below 75
• Impairment in adaptive functioning - for example, social, domestic and communication skills
• The disability must have occurred before the age of 18

So I guess if any impairment fulfills these criteria, then an athlete could be considered

VT'd wrote (see)

LOL @ KK, a scary good cop/bad cop mentor. 

Schmunkee - The List Fairy wrote (see)

How the Paralympics check intellectual disability

All competitors in these sport classes have to fulfil the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of intellectual disability:

• An IQ below 75
• Impairment in adaptive functioning - for example, social, domestic and communication skills
• The disability must have occurred before the age of 18

So I guess if any impairment fulfills these criteria, then an athlete could be considered

It just seems like a spectrum in all of this that can't actually be catagorised; it's no criticism, far from it. I love the 'Is it ok?' show that completes the C4 coverage every evening.

I seem to recall they questioned whether depression should be a category, which I guess has a similar logic.

Somewhere they mentioned a case where a Spanish (I think) team faked intellectual disabilities.  Sorry I didn't get full details

It does seem a bit difficult with autism spectrum thing.

My son has Aspergers but for him its just a social/personality thing,as he has an IQ in the top 10% and is doing very well at school. He just finds social occasions crowds and unexpected things a problem that he finds hard to deal with.

So when we saw one of our swimmers win a gold and they said she was an Aspergers sufferer we did raise our eyebrows a bit. One of the things with aspergers is that they have quite an obsessional out look, and focus on the things they are good at.

That not to say some have seveer asperger and are at the lower end of the IQ scale. But its cetainly not a physical problem.

Tommygun2 wrote (see)

It does seem a bit difficult with autism spectrum thing.

My son has Aspergers but for him its just a social/personality thing,as he has an IQ in the top 10% and is doing very well at school. He just finds social occasions crowds and unexpected things a problem that he finds hard to deal with.

So when we saw one of our swimmers win a gold and they said she was an Aspergers sufferer we did raise our eyebrows a bit. One of the things with aspergers is that they have quite an obsessional out look, and focus on the things they are good at.

That not to say some have seveer asperger and are at the lower end of the IQ scale. But its cetainly not a physical problem.

Most of the kids on the autistic spectrum that I've taught have some level of dyspraxia or fine/gross motor skill impairment to some degree.

As an aside, if you are dyslexic, try doing a star jump and tell me if you can. That's to everyone not specifically to Tommy

XFR Bear wrote (see)

I seem to recall they questioned whether depression should be a category, which I guess has a similar logic.

 

Somewhere they mentioned a case where a Spanish (I think) team faked intellectual disabilities.  Sorry I didn't get full details

I remember hearing some of the commentry about the learning impaired athletes, saying that they had trouble working out their training schedules etc... But the little nagging voice in my head was just saying that they have people to do that for them.

I'm only 5' 10", through genetics and therefore no fault of my own, I was born this way, i'm at an unfair disadvantage in the high jump. I will never be olympic high jump champion. Should there not be a catorgory for 5' 10" high jump midgets in the para olympics so I have a fighting chance...I'd also like to add an obesity clause, since that's clearly due to my own mental deficit and not "my own fault".

kittenkat wrote (see)

 remember hearing some of the commentry about the learning impaired athletes, saying that they had trouble working out their training schedules etc... But the little nagging voice in my head was just saying that they have people to do that for them.

Voices ? Schizophrenic ? Maybe you could compete KK ?

I watch sport on TV through the winter, even the Saturday night interviews after the matches. So why aren't the regular England football squad able to represent our nation at the Paralympics then?

Lardarse, I think you may have something regarding obesity, I watched the American biggest loser recently, where they made the extremely Obese people sprint 40 metres to win an immunity award, the winner was given immunity from being thrown off the show, and the race was then re-run with decreasing numbers until only two were left. I'm slightly ashamed to say, but it was so entertaining, I'd pay good money to see that, it wasn't as dynamic as Usain Bolt but way more fun to watch.

Also you do have my sympathy being only 5-10 I can only imagine how that must feel

You can have aspergers and have a very low IQ level........much lower than individuals on down syndrome or other 

An IQ of under 75 is the general test they do for youngsters at 16 to assess if they can assess certain services.....so is fairly routine..........I know a girl with aspergers who could have a fairly good conversation with you.at 16 though she could not tell time yet or understand value of money and thought she would marry Kai from one on the Japenese cartoon series as she had a crush on him and no idea of being able to seperate the cartoon from real life.............yet she was a beautiful young girl who would be very vunerable if out on her own.................

Any one with bi polar who has an IQ of under 75 and was diagnosed before 18 would qualify no doubt.

anyone who works in education must realise that Aspergers is not on the extreme end of the autistic spectrum.........The whole spectrum is vast and Aspergers just is another tag name for some of those that show specific qualities of it..........it is not just those on the spectrum who have a high IQ........same as those just classified as Autistic can have higher than normal IQ.......they all have some of the same range of problems

apsergers is not a diagnose based on IQ......so having a disability in its own right does not give you access to a para place.you have to fall into the classification system....eg have a low IQ.similar to having Downs syndrome.......just being down syndrome would not make you eligible....or having a diagnose of MS......etc.

they might have aspergers as appossed to a different disability in the class.but no doubt their IQ will be just as low  and it has been deemed they are competing on an equal playing field.................which is always going to be difficult when they are trying to accomodate as many different disabilities and abilities............it will never be perfect but they seem to have got it pretty good so far

popsider wrote (see)

kittenkat wrote (see)

 remember hearing some of the commentry about the learning impaired athletes, saying that they had trouble working out their training schedules etc... But the little nagging voice in my head was just saying that they have people to do that for them.

Voices ? Schizophrenic ? Maybe you could compete KK ?

Which one of me? I couldn't choose.

seren nos wrote (see)

You can have aspergers and have a very low IQ level........much lower than individuals on down syndrome or other 

An IQ of under 75 is the general test they do for youngsters at 16 to assess if they can assess certain services.....so is fairly routine..........I know a girl with aspergers who could have a fairly good conversation with you.at 16 though she could not tell time yet or understand value of money and thought she would marry Kai from one on the Japenese cartoon series as she had a crush on him and no idea of being able to seperate the cartoon from real life.............yet she was a beautiful young girl who would be very vunerable if out on her own.................

 

Any one with bi polar who has an IQ of under 75 and was diagnosed before 18 would qualify no doubt.

anyone who works in education must realise that Aspergers is not on the extreme end of the autistic spectrum.........The whole spectrum is vast and Aspergers just is another tag name for some of those that show specific qualities of it..........it is not just those on the spectrum who have a high IQ........same as those just classified as Autistic can have higher than normal IQ.......they all have some of the same range of problems

 

apsergers is not a diagnose based on IQ......so having a disability in its own right does not give you access to a para place.you have to fall into the classification system....eg have a low IQ.similar to having Downs syndrome.......just being down syndrome would not make you eligible....or having a diagnose of MS......etc.

they might have aspergers as appossed to a different disability in the class.but no doubt their IQ will be just as low  and it has been deemed they are competing on an equal playing field.................which is always going to be difficult when they are trying to accomodate as many different disabilities and abilities............it will never be perfect but they seem to have got it pretty good so far

 

I can fully understand why IQ should be and is used as a benchmark. As you point out with the equal playing field comment, with such a range of disabilities and abilities, there never is going to be a perfect system. My argument against using IQ as a given is that there are people out there with higher IQ but with more cognitive and other problems; how can they be given a fair assessment?

They would have to fit into a different catergory..........this is only one catergory and its IQ with some other features

to assess a catergory just on cognitive tests would be extremely difficult I would think.......and how would you class it.

I think the whole thing is very difficult, I've been fascinated by the classification system.

It's been a great spectacle that I didn't honestly expect to enjoy, probably like a lot of people I've been surprised by the events and the determined efforts. It's just a shame it has come to all this discussion about classification, leg length, IQ etc, because once one or two athletes start to earn money from their success, or funding becomes involved it will inevitably turn into a legal minefield at the next Olympics.

lardarse wrote (see)

I'm only 5' 10", through genetics and therefore no fault of my own, I was born this way, i'm at an unfair disadvantage in the high jump. I will never be olympic high jump champion. Should there not be a catorgory for 5' 10" high jump midgets in the para olympics so I have a fighting chance...I'd also like to add an obesity clause, since that's clearly due to my own mental deficit and not "my own fault".

I know someone who got a basketball scholorship to university to study sport. He is a midget.