This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of the functional reach test (FRT) in persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). The subjects were 41 persons with ID (male, 26; female, 15) and 44 healthy persons (controls). The subjects with ID were classified into two groups according to their intelligence quotient (IQ): the high-IQ and low-IQ groups. FRT was measured in the original (no target) condition and target condition. In the target condition, a white wall (target) was set in front of the subject. The FRT scores of the original condition and target condition and the difference between these FRT scores (FRT difference) were calculated. In the original condition, the FRT score of the controls was higher than those of the two groups with ID, in which no further comparison was significant. In the target condition, the FRT score of the controls was higher than those of the two groups with ID; the score of the high-IQ group was higher than that of the low-IQ group. The FRT difference of the high-IQ group was higher than that of the low-IQ group, which in turn was higher than that of the controls. These results suggested that persons with ID demonstrate a lower FRT score than healthy persons although the score can be increased greatly by the target, especially for persons with mild or moderate ID.
