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2 Youth Sports in Amer­ i ­ ca system, peripheral ner­vous system, bones, muscles, and/or joints. Examples of ­ these health conditions include amputation, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, ce­ re ­ bral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and cerebrovas- cular accident (stroke). An individual may be born with a physical health condition, or he or she may acquire it ­later in life as a result of an unanticipated circumstance (e.g., traumatic accident, bacterial infection). In contrast to physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities refer to health con- ditions that result in altered cognitive functioning, potentially resulting in impaired communication skills, social skills, academic skills (e.g., reading/writing ability, mathematical pro­cessing), and/or skills associated with activities of daily living (e.g., self-­care, orga­nizational skills). Examples of intellectual disabilities include Down syndrome, autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, and fragile X syndrome. Intel- lectual disabilities may be pres­ent at the time of birth (i.e., congenital), or an indi- vidual may develop the intellectual disability during early childhood years before he or she reaches 18 years of age. What Is Adaptive Sport? Adaptive sport refers to “any modification of a given sport or recreation activity to accommodate the varying ability levels of an individual with a disability” (Lund- berg, Taniguchi, McCormick, and Tibbs, 2011, 206). One common modification is to change the physical space or setting in which a sport is traditionally played to accom- modate athletes with disabilities. For example, softball is traditionally played on dirt and grass surfaces, whereas wheelchair softball is played on a soft but firm rub- berized surface. This modification in space allows for athletes who use assistive devices (e.g., wheelchair, walker, crutches) to more easily maneuver on the field of play. A modification may also include altering the rules for a par­tic­u­lar sport to increase accessibility. For example, volleyball is typically played from a standing position on a court that is 18 × 9 meters in size, with a net that is 7–8 feet off the ground. Sitting volleyball, an adaptive sport for athletes who have an injury and/or impaired functioning in their lower extremities (e.g., leg amputation), is played from a seated position on a court that is 10 × 6 meters in size, with a net that is located approximately 3 feet off the ground. ­ These rule modifications allow for individuals with varied ability in their lower extremities to engage in the game of volleyball as any other athlete would with regard to court positions, serving, offensive and defen- sive skills (i.e., blocking, spiking, bump pass), and scoring. Another modification may involve altering the equipment used for the sport. For example, the biathlon event combines cross-­country skiing and target shooting. Individuals who have a visual impairment can participate in the shooting portion