Young children with disabilities are excluded from national physical activity monitoring. That needs to change.

New research shows that young children with disabilities have markedly low levels of physical activity, which means they are missing out on the numerous benefits of engaging in physical activity. (Shutterstock)

Physical activity is important for children; it supports improved health, development and sleep. However, children in the early years (from birth to age five) with disabilities are consistently underrepresented in national monitoring, and are subsequently excluded from intervention efforts promoting physical activity.

The ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth (the most comprehensive assessment of child and youth physical activity in Canada) was released in May, and again reported a noticeable lack of available data for children with disabilities. As researchers in the Child Health and Physical Activity Lab in the School of Occupational Therapy at Western University, we focus on promoting physical activity for all young children.