Paralympic Athlete: from Rehabilitation to HighPerformance

Code:

AFES14

Acronym:

AFES14

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Sports Sciences

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	2nd Cycle in Physical Activity, Exercise and Health

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
2CAFES	7	Official Plan	1	-	6	50	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

i) Master basic concepts of Paralympic Sport Science, highlighting the importance of biomechanics, physiology, psychology and specific medical aspects of the athlete with a disability. ii) Understand the importance of monitoring by multidisciplinary teams to achieve maximum sports performance of these athletes in different sports/levels of competition. iii) Plan, structure and implement individualized training programs aimed at optimizing the sport performance of the athlete with a disability, as well as critically selecting and applying instruments to assess sport performance. iv) Mastering the basic principles of sport classification in the areas of motor, visual and intellectual disabilities. v) realize the importance of the role of the coach of the athlete with a disability, addressing practical and concise strategies and guidelines on the specific aspects of training for the Paralympic athlete.

Learning outcomes and competences

i) masters basic concepts of scientific theories about disability and human movement, as well as understanding the complexity of performance assessment and the impact of disability on motor patterns. ii) comprises the sporting, unique and specific medical aspects of athletes with disabilities. iii) Identifies the evaluation parameters explored to demonstrate the positive effect of physical exercise on the athlete with a disability. iv) masters psychology contents such as leadership and communication, athletic identity, self-esteem and others related to the sport performance of athletes with disabilities as part of the multidisciplinary approach that must accompany the Paralympic athlete. v) applies safe, valid and reliable intervention methodologies to intervene in an elite context as coach of the disabled athlete

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Paralympic Athlete: multidisciplinary approach in the field of sport sciences 2. Prescription and Exercise Assessment for the Paralympic Athlete 2.1 Cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, anaerobic capacity and cardiovascular parameters. 2.2 Functionality and mobility, level of physical activity, balance and posture. 2.3 Nutrition, body composition and pharmacology. 2.4 Optimization of wheelchair use in sports/daily living activities and injury prevention. 2.5 Psychological preparation: training in psychological skills and techniques. 3. Sport Classification: main parameters, classification systems, impact of disability on sport performance and assessment in motor, visual and intellectual areas. 4. The Paralympic Coach 4.1 The role of the coach in Paralympic sport 4.2 Security and prevention 4.3 Specificities of sport and disability 4.4 Communication Skills 4.5 Demonstration, feedback and evaluation

Mandatory literature

Vicky Goosey-Tolfrey; Wheelchair sport. ISBN: 978-07360-8676-9
Vanlandewijck YC; Thompson WR; The paralympic athlete: handbook of sports medicine and science, wiley-blackwell, 2011

Teaching methods and learning activities

Expository and interrogative with problem solving. Synchronous and asynchronous seminars and thematic discussions.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	25,00
Trabalho escrito	75,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	122,00
Frequência das aulas	40,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

The final classification cannot be less than 9.50 points. Practical component: Participation in the developed activities; realization and presentation of works; participation in the online component. The final classification of this component cannot be less than 9.50 values.

Calculation formula of final grade

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students covered by legislation on special frequency regimes will be required to take special tests and a final exam to prove their knowledge and skills related to the objectives and contents of the curricular unit.

Observations

In the event of a change in the attendance regime, a possible change in the organization of the UC and in the element of assessment of the theoretical component is safeguarded (it will be replaced by a special assessment task).