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Publications
Publications (59)
Maintaining engagement in outdoor recreation during COVID-19 required adaptation as the pandemic continuously reshaped risk perceptions, use of outdoor space, and interpersonal contact. This study examined the role of four main adaptive strategies in outdoor recreation engagement among U.S. adults during one of the nation’s largest waves of COVID-1...
This study investigated the use of recommended practices in university-based experiential learning associated with adapted physical activity and education (APA/E) undergraduate courses. Participants ( N = 165) were instructors of APA/E courses with an experiential-learning component and/or professionals involved in APA/E experiential-learning progr...
Long-standing research has highlighted the critical role of physical
and outdoor activities for children’s health and wellbeing. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, children around the world experienced heightened
stress and poor mental health, which coincided with a decrease
in active play and increase in screen-based activities. This study
examined how...
Objective
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parent ratings of motor skills and executive function (EF) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States and Taiwan.
Materials and method
One hundred and seventy-two parents/legal guardians of children (4–6 years and 11 months old) with ASD were recr...
The current meta-analysis comprehensively examined the effects of physical activity interventions on executive function among people with neurodevelopmental disorders. The meta-analysis included 34 studies with 1058 participants aged 5–33 years. Results indicated an overall significant medium effect of physical activity interventions on improving e...
Leisure engagement has risen as a salient societal issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, not only because it provides a pathway for people to continue meeting their physical, cognitive, and social-emotional needs, but also due to the phenomenal juxtaposition of general increases in leisure time and unparalleled constraints. This study reports the res...
Young children with developmental disabilities (DDs) experience motor skill deficits compared to their peers without disabilities. Even though parents play an important role in developing their children’s motor skills, it has not been widely studied how parental behaviors influence motor skill development in young children with DDs. Therefore, the...
Research on dog social cognition has received widespread attention. However, the vast majority of this research has focused on dogs’ relationships and responsiveness towards adult humans. While little research has considered dog–child interactions from a cognitive perspective, how dogs perceive and socially engage with children is critical to fully...
Introduction:
Individuals with intellectual disabilities are a known health disparities group. The Team Wellness (TW) health promotion program was developed to provide healthy lifestyle information to target this population. The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative program evaluation on Team Wellness.
Methods:
Interviews were condu...
The purpose of this study was to test a modified conceptual model of the associations between parental supports and physical activity (PA) orientations and the PA behaviors of young children with developmental disabilities (DDs). In total, 135 parents of young children with DDs completed a questionnaire, which consisted of 67 questions. A pathway a...
Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) have become more prevalent in recent years, with dog-assisted interventions among the most popular. The literature suggests that a variety of dog-human interventions have the potential for beneficial outcomes for human participants and owners, however, critical gaps in knowledge still exist. Research addressing i...
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Background:
Young children with developmental disabilities (DDs) often experience motor skill deficits. Although parents play an important role in developing their children's motor skills, the association between parents of young children with DDs and those children's motor skills has not been widely studied.
Objective:
The purpose of this study...
Background:
Children with disabilities often experience delays in one or more domains of development including motor skill delays. Delays in motor skill development may put children further behind their peers without disabilities in respect to aspects of early learning.
Aims:
The purpose of this study was to examine how gross motor skills mediat...
Objectives
Parental behavior plays an important role in child development. Given inconsistent findings in the literature related to parental behaviors or parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those without, the purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to examine whether parenting behavior differences existed betwee...
Experiential learning provides undergraduate students rich opportunities to enhance their knowledge of core concepts in kinesiology. Beyond these outcomes, it enables students to gain exposure to, build empathy for, and affect the lives of individuals from diverse populations. However, the development, management, and systematic evaluation of exper...
Research has shown that children's levels of physical activity are set at an all-time low, which can lead to health problems such as obesity and diabetes. So, what can parents do to ensure that their child gets enough physical activity each day? This booklet answers that question and explains why the key to helping a child be more physically active...
Research Findings: The present study examines connections among participation in open- and closed-skilled sports; the metabolic intensity of each sport; and executive function (EF), literacy, and math achievement in a sample of 3rd-grade children. Utilizing data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child...
Purpose of ReviewEvidence suggests prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) exposure effects on human neurodevelopment, but this is controversial due to conflicting research results. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize available peer-reviewed data of prenatal PBDE exposure effects on cognitive function, motor funct...
Aims:
Children with mobility related disabilities often experience limited participation and access to social interactions. An emerging pediatric powered mobility device are modified ride-on cars that provide self-directed mobility experiences to children with disabilities. This study aimed to determine: (1) the feasibility of a modified ride-on c...
Background:
Current policy in Oregon limits eligibility of children diagnosed with developmental delay for school-based services. Due to eligibility definitions, children with developmental delay may face additional barriers transitioning from early intervention/early childhood special education into school-based special education services.
Aims:...
Services offered through Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act improve cognitive, behavioral, and physical skills for children less than 3 years old at risk for or with a disability. However, there are low enrollment rates into services. Various Lead Agencies oversee services through Part C, and states determine whic...
Simple Summary
Understanding how family dogs aid in aspects of daily living such as quality of life, physical activity and human animal interaction is critical towards better understanding child health. Using questionnaires and direct assessment we aimed to better understand the role of the family dog in an animal assisted adapted physical activity...
The hallmark characteristics of a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are deficits in social communicative skills and the use of repetitive and/or stereotyped behaviors. In addition, children with ASD experience known motor-skill delays. The purpose of this study was to examine salient child behaviors of young children with and without ASD...
Young children with developmental disabilities experience known deficits in salient child behaviors, such as social behaviors, communication, and aspects of daily living, behaviors that generally improve with chronological age. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effects of motor skills on relations of age and salient child behav...
Background
Children are exposed to flame retardants from the built environment. Brominated diphenyl ethers (BDE) and organophosphate-based flame retardants (OPFRs) are associated with poorer neurocognitive functioning in children. Less is known, however, about the association between these classes of compounds and children’s emotional and social be...
Background
The first few years of life are critical for the healthy growth and development of every child. Enrolling children with disabilities or at risk of developmental delay into early intervention services is essential to successfully meet their physical, cognitive, communication, socio-emotional and adaptive needs. However, many children thro...
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to compare the physical activity and play behaviors of preschoolers without disabilities and 1 preschooler with physical disability.
Methods:
Participants were 42 preschoolers without disabilities and 1 preschooler with physical disability (Child A). Child A used either crutches or a modified ride-on car wh...
The Health Education for Persons with Multiple Sclerosis (HEMS) program was developed in response to the need for interventions aimed at increasing physical activity for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It was developed and evaluated using Drum and colleagues (2009) guidelines for implementing health promotion programs for individuals with...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the participation patterns of children with Down syndrome (DS) using the construct of participation as defined by the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF).
Methods
Sixty-two children with DS were recruited between the ages of 9 and 17 years. All participants we...
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication skills as well as repetitive, restricted or stereotyped behaviors (1). Early interventionists are often found at the forefront of assessment, evaluation, and early intervention services for children with ASD. The role of an early i...
Purpose:
The purpose of this article was to examine specific linkages between early visual-motor integration skills and executive function, as well as between early object manipulation skills and social behaviors in the classroom during the preschool year.
Method:
Ninety-two children aged 3 to 5 years old (Mage = 4.31 years) were recruited to pa...
Background
Social mobility is defined as the co-occurrence of self-directed locomotion and direct peer interaction. Social mobility is a product of dynamic child–environment interactions and thus likely to vary across contexts (e.g., classroom, gymnasium, and playground).
Purpose
The purpose of this present study was to examine differences in chil...
Silicone wristbands can be used as passive sampling tools for measuring personal environmental exposure to organic compounds. Due to the lightweight and simple design, the wristband may be a useful technique for measuring children's exposure. In this study, we tested the stability of flame retardant compounds in silicone wristbands and developed an...
Background:
Many adults with cerebral palsy report experiencing early-onset decline in mobility and independence. The role of strength training to combat this is not well understood.
Objective/hypothesis:
To examine the effects of strength-training interventions on muscle strength and functional outcomes for adults with CP using the ICF framewor...
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, affecting over 2.3 million people worldwide. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the age of disease onset is typically between 20 and 40 years, with a higher incidence in women. Individuals wi...
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by deficits in social skills, communication and repetitive or restricted interests (APA, 1994; 2013). Children with ASD experience physical health disparities such as obesity, impaired motor skills, physical inactivity and low physical fitness levels in comparison to...
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social communication deficits and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities. Literature comparing the physical activity and fitness of children with ASD to typically developing peers is in need of attention. The purpose of this investigation was to...
In addition to the core characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), motor skill deficits are present, persistent, and pervasive across age. Although motor skill deficits have been indicated in young children with autism, they have not been included in the primary discussion of early intervention content. One hundred fifty-nine young children...
services health professionals provide within in the community that exist beyond clinical and academic settings (Rabinowitz, 2013). unique in that it has direct contact with children with disabilities-tinctively placed to reach underserved populations through com-Abstract Community-based physical activity, provided by the commu-munity-based health p...
To determine the relationship of motor skills and the core behaviors of young children with autism, social affective skills and repetitive behaviors, as indicated through the calibrated autism severity scores.
The univariate GLM tested the relationship of gross and fine motor skills measured by the gross motor scale and the fine motor scale of the...
Motor skill deficits are present and persist in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Staples & Reid, 2010). Yet the focus of intervention is on core impairments, which are part of the diagnostic criteria for ASD, deficits in social communication skills. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the functional motor skill...
Social communicative deficits are the hallmark characteristics of autism, also referred to as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Given the depth of these social communicative deficits, the role of movement skills in development has gone relatively under-explored. However, children with ASD demonstrate impaired performance of fundamental movement skil...
The purpose of this study was to examine the physical activity patterns of children with Down syndrome. A cross-sectional approach and accelerometry were used to measure the time children with Down syndrome (N = 104) spent in sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Results indicated that adolescents from ages 14 to 15 years we...
Children with Down syndrome (DS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) frequently have difficulty riding a two-wheel bicycle. The purpose of this study was to investigate an intervention using an adapted bicycle and individualized instruction to teach 71 youth to ride a standard two-wheel bicycle. Youth with DS (n = 30) and ASD (n = 41) between the a...
ABSTRACT:
Although motor deficits are gaining attention in autism research much less attention has been paid to the physical activity patterns in this group of children. The participants in this study were a group of children with autism spectrum disorder (N = 72) between the ages of 9-18 years. This cross-sectional study explored the physical acti...
With increased interest in the early diagnosis and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), more attention has been called to the motor skills of very young children with ASD. This study describes the gross and fine motor skills of a cross-sectional group of 162 children with ASD between the ages of 12 and 36 months, as well as a...
Background: Research consistently indicates that youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) display major constraints in acquiring an adequate repertoire of functional physical activities they can use with their family, siblings, and peers. Most of this research literature indicates that quality of life, health, and social interactions are negative...
Background: Teaching age-appropriate social skills to children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is of particular importance. The wider the gap between a child with a social skill deficit and a child with age-appropriate social skills, the more quickly a child can be rejected amongst their peers. Although generalization is a primary goa...