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Abstract

The purpose of this study was the investigation of the effect of the practice of Olympic wrestling on the modification of the behavior of sixteen elementary school special education students between the ages of eight and twelve years old. Ninety two percent of this group was enrolled in a special education program of which eighty six percent were classified with ADHD. The investigation lasted ten-weeks during which the students were evaluated before and after their participation in the wrestling program. During this period the students participated in Olympic wrestling training sessions, which consisted of many motor skill activities including axial skills, together with other activities such as artistic gymnastics, wrestling techniques, wrestling, and motors skills games. The evaluation instruments were constructed by three teachers: a specialist in special education and in Olympic wrestling, a special education teacher, and a wrestling specialist. The teachers of the students’ regular classes and the wrestling trainer evaluated the students. The results indicated an improvement in the opinion of the students concerning their behavior in the classroom. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the Olympic wrestling teacher and the teachers of the regular program saw an improvement in the behavior of the students. The results were found to be statistically significant.

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