For Health Professionals

A healthier athlete is a better athlete, right? It sounds like a simple enough premise, yet research studies conducted by Special Olympics found disturbing evidence that Special Olympics athletes, as well as individuals with intellectual disabilities at large, face widespread health problems, while physicians, dentists and other health professionals are not receiving adequate training in order to treat them.

The research reinforces previous studies that found that despite the widespread belief that individuals with intellectual disabilities receive better health care than the rest of the population; people with intellectual disabilities actually have poorer health; more specialized health care needs and greater difficulty accessing health care services and doctors compared to the general public.

To address this issue, Special Olympics International created the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes

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