Singapore Sport and Exercise Medicine Centre - Children's Services

This programme has been designed specifically for children and adolescents. It provides a holistic approach towards educating children and adolescents on the importance of an active and healthy lifestyle. To ensure exercises are done safely and correctly, our Clinical Exercise Physiologists (CEPs) will supervise all activities within the Fitness Centre, providing a safe environment for patients to improve their body composition, fitness level and confidence while exercising and/or performing physical activities.

Who is eligible?

• Children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years with a KKH physician's referral
• Individuals with weight concerns or poor physical fitness due to sedentary lifestyle, chronic medical condition (such as hypertension, asthma, diabetes etc).

Patients are required to undergo a Fitness Assessment prior to commencing their first exercise session. The fitness components that are measured during the assessment include but are not limited to:
Body Composition, Flexibility, Muscular Strength and Endurance, Aerobic Fitness.

During the initial visit the CEP will conduct a Physical Activity and Lifestyle Counselling (PAC) session to assess the patient's current physical activity status and recommend suitable strategies to guide parents/caregivers and patient in making lifestyle changes to strive towards better health.

Baseline results obtained during the Fitness Assessment would go towards developing an individualised exercise programme for the patient which would then be carried out under the guidance and supervision of the CEP. The programme is carried out in either an individual or group session.

Our Programme (For Children)

Move with me is a movement-based exercise intervention designed for children with special developmental needs. It focuses on developing physical literacy through age-appropriate activities in a safe and fun environment. The programme aims to create movement opportunities, build positive self-esteem, and improve physical and psychosocial skills in these children. The intervention given considers the child's specific learning needs and adapts suitable strategies to facilitate learning and play experience. Incooperating specific teaching strategies during interventions to create meaningful learning experience and expands the child's skills sets.

Who is eligible?

Children between 4 to 9 years with a KKH physician's referral. Individuals with special developmental needs / disorder (such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity delay, global developmental delay etc).

Programme Outline

Prior to commencing the first exercise session, individuals would undergo a Fitness Assessment. Fitness components that will be measured during the assessment includes: Gross Motor Development, Muscular Strength and Endurance, Aerobic Fitness.

On the same day, an Clinical Exercise Physiologist will conduct Physical Activity and Lifestyle Counselling (PAC) to assess the patient's current physical activity status and recommend suitable strategies to guide parents and child into developing gross motor competency and physical activity habits. Baseline results obtained during the Fitness Assessment would go towards developing an individualised exercise program for the individual which would then be carried out under the guidance of a Clinical Exercise Physiologist.

Exercise intervention will in cooperate strategies such as structured learning, learning aids, and progressive learning strategies to assist children with special needs to learn physical movement. For children who displays good progress within the program are encouraged to continue physical activity engagement within the community, or suitable group base intervention programs available at SSMC@KKH.

This exercise programme is for children and adolescent with existing chronic medical conditions looking to improve their health through physical activity. This programme focuses on general strength and fitness training to enhance muscular strength and endurance, build aerobic fitness and empowering children and adolescent to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. To ensure the exercise is done safely and correctly, our Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP) will supervise all activities within the Fitness Centre, providing a safe and conducive environment for patients to take charge of their health through strength and conditioning.

Who is eligible?

• Children and adolescent aged 9 years and older with KKH physician's referral.
• Individuals with chronic medical conditions (such as epilepsy, diabetes, cancer, eating disorder etc), who will benefit from physical activity .

Programme Outline

Prior to commencing the first exercise session, patients are required to undergo a Fitness Assessment. Fitness components that will be measured during the assessment include but are not limited to:
Body Composition, Flexibility, Muscular Strength and Endurance, and Aerobic Fitness.

During the initial visit the CEP will conduct a Physical Activity and Lifestyle Counselling (PAC) session to assess the patient's current physical activity status and recommend suitable strategies to guide parents/caregivers and patient in making lifestyle changes to strive towards better health.

Baseline results obtained during the Fitness Assessment would go towards developing an individualised exercise programme for the patient, which would then be carried out under the guidance and supervision of the Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP). The exercise intervention focuses on building a stronger body and mind through regular exposure to resistance exercises. Additionally, learning the safety aspect of exercising with a medical condition would empower the individual with self-confidence towards healthy living.

Sports Optimisation Programme (SOP) is designed for children and adolescents with sports-related injuries with the aim to optimise rehabilitation outcomes for post-injury sports performance. A group of healthcare professionals (medical doctors, physiotherapists, and clinical exercise physiologists) co-manages the programme. The main objective of SOP is to reduce sporting re-injury rates, improve post-injury sporting performance, minimise training performance disruptions during rehabilitation and safe re-entry to sports training

Who is eligible?

• Children and adolescents aged 9 to 18 years with a SSMC@KKH physician's referral.
• Children and adolescents who have acute/chronic musculoskeletal sport injury or pain.

Programme Outline

During the initial visit the Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP) will conduct a Physical Activity and Lifestyle Counselling (PAC) session to establish a physical/sport-related fitness profile. The profile will take into consideration the individual's injury recovery process (clearance level from attending physicians and physiotherapist) to establish program goals and direction.

Baseline results obtained during the Fitness Assessment would go towards developing an individualised exercise programme for the patient which would then be carried out under the guidance and supervision of the CEP.

To optimise rehabilitation outcomes, SOP follows the principles of Return to Sports Continuum in managing patient's condition in each session, engaging them in various structured exercise appropriate for recovery and ensuring a safe return to their original sporting performance. The training programme ultimately targets 7 core components that are important for sporting performance thus working towards minimising deconditioning and optimising time spent during rehabilitation.

Our Programmes (For Children)

Supporting U in Play, Exercise, and Recreational activities (SUPER) for Kids is a group-based exercise programme designed for young children. The programme exposes young children to meaningful movement experiences to develop good gross motor skills and healthy lifestyle habits. SUPER Kids heavily incorporates a play-based approach, creating a fun and holistic learning environment for young children to enjoy sport and physical activity. With the programme focusing on developing fundamental movement skills and sports-related skills, children can build sporting skills, fitness, and confidence, encouraging them to participate in sports.

Who is eligible?

Children aged 5 - 9 years old with a KKH physician's referral. Individuals with weight concerns or poor physical fitness due to sedentary lifestyle, poor coordination issues, well managed chronic medical conditions and no major behaviour issues.

Programme Outline

Prior to commencing the first exercise session, individuals would undergo a Fitness Assessment. Fitness components that will be measured during the assessment includes: Body Composition, Gross Motor Development, Flexibility, Muscular Strength and Endurance, Aerobic Fitness.

On the same day, an Clinical Exercise Physiologist / Exercise Trainer will conduct Physical Activity and Lifestyle Counselling (PAC) to assess the patient's current physical activity status and recommend suitable strategies to guide parents and child in making lifestyle changes for better health. Baseline results obtained during the Fitness Assessment would go towards developing an exercise program for the individual in a group intervention setting, which would then be carried out under the guidance of a Clinical Exercise Physiologist / Exercise Trainer.

The SUPER Kids exercise program is carried out in a group intervention setting with child undergoing weekly intervention for at least three months. The progamming focus on developing fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical fitness through sports/games, play adventures and classroom based activities. As the individual progress with the program, families are encourage to continue physical activity within the community.