Program Overview

The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® program was developed in 1996. This program is designed to help Special Olympics athletes improve their health and fitness, leading to enhanced sports experience and improved well-being. Its ultimate aim is to improve each athlete's ability to train and compete in Special Olympics as well as succeed in life!

Special Olympics Healthy Athlete’s initiative consists of Seven disciplines:• Fit Feet (currently offered by SOSD)

• FUNfitness (currently offered by SOSD)

• Healthy Hearing (currently offered by SOSD)

• Special Smiles (currently offered by SOSD)

• Health Promotion

• Medfest

• Opening Eyes

Many Special Olympics athletes suffer from foot and ankle pain or deformities that impair their performance. Also, athletes are not always fitted with the best shoesand socks for their particular sport. During a Fit Feet assessment, volunteer health care professionals screen athletes' feet and ankles for deformities, and also check for proper shoes and socks.

Clinician Requirements: Doctor of Pediatric Medicine

FUNfitness is the comprehensive physical therapy component of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes initiative. FUNfitness is designed to Assess and improve flexibility, functional strength and balance; to educate participants, families and coaches about the importance of flexibility, strength and balance; and to provide a hands-on opportunity for participants to learn aboutphysical therapy.

Clinician Requirements: Licensed Physical Therapist

The purpose of Healthy Hearing is to screen thehearing of athletes and notify athletes and theircoaches if follow-up care is needed. Healthy Hearingvenues may also provide corrective (hearing aids)and preventative (custom swim earplugs) serviceswhere possible, and study the prevalence of hearingloss in athletes competing in Special Olympics events.

Clinician Requirements: Audiologist or SpeechLanguage Pathologist.

Special Olympics Special Smiles is one of the core components of the SpecialOlympics Healthy Athletes initiative,created to focus attention on the overallhealth issues facing Special Olympics athletes. The mission of Special Smiles isto increase access to dental care for Special Olympics athletes, as well as allpeople with intellectual disabilities. Theathletes are provided with hygiene education to help ensure they are doing an adequate job of brushing and flossing, as well as nutritional education tounderstand how their diet affects theirtotal health.

Clinician Requirements: Licensed Dentistor Dental Hygienist

Perhaps the basis of all components of Special Olympics Healthy Athletes, Health Promotion seeks to find the best waysto convey and reinforce key concepts and information to peoplewith intellectual disabilities. Health Promotion venues empowerand motivate athletes to make healthy lifestyle choices that willimprove their long-term health by using interactive educationalgames and literature. Athletes are offered guides for healthyeating, sun safety, smoking cessation, lifestyle choices and funways to increase physical fitness.

Clinician Requirements: Dietician, Physician, Nurse, PT, HealthEducator

MedFest is a screening program that facilitates the Required standard sports physical examination for current and prospective Special Olympics athletes.

Clinician Requirements: Medical Doctor, Physician

The mission of Special Olympics - Lions Clubs International OpeningEyes is to improve the quality of life for the millions of individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities by optimizing their vision, eye health and visual skills through quality eye care.

Under the Opening Eyes program, extensive vision screenings are conducted. Athletes are then provided with free prescription eye glasses, sport wear glasses and sunglasses as warranted.

Clinician Requirements: Vision Care Professional, Licensed Optometrist or Ophthalmologist

Summary of State Summer Games (May, 2012) Assessments

Discipline# of athletes

assessed# of referrals for aftercare

FUNfitness 95 10Healthy Hearing 97 11Special Smiles 88 1

Recommendations for follow-up care range from low cardiac tolerance to suspected hearing loss.

• Fit Feet - Clinician Requirements: Doctor of Pediatric Medicine

• FUNfitness - Clinician Requirements: Licensed Physical Therapist

• Healthy Hearing - Clinician Requirements: Audiologist or Speech Language Pathologist.

• Special Smiles - Clinician Requirements: Licensed Dentist or Dental Hygienist

• Health Promotion - Clinician Requirements: Dietician, Physician, Nurse, PT, Health Educator

• MedFest - Clinician Requirements: Medical Doctor, Physician

• Opening Eyes - Clinician Requirements: Vision Care Professional, Licensed Optometrist or Ophthalmologist

If you, or you know of anyone who fits these requirements and is interested in becoming a Healthy Athlete clinician, please contact us!

Contact Us:

Attn: Johna Thum800 E. I-90 LaneSioux Falls, SD 57104