Adapted physical activity and education (APA/APE) service-learning has received considerable attention as a training tool to prepare undergraduate students, including preservice physical education teachers, to work with people with disabilities (Hodge, 1998; Rowe & Stutts, 1987; Taliaferro et al., 2015). Much of this research focuses on demonstrating the effects of...
The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, to investigate the occurrence of displacement, adult word count (AWC), and child vocalization (CV), for two brothers, one with Down syndrome and one who is typically developing, on a minute level basis, in an inclusive play setting, over the course of two...
Children with disabilities report some of the lowest physical activity (PA) levels among U.S. children. Estimating the magnitude of PA disparities has been previously challenged by underreporting and variability in subsampling of children with disabilities. The present research leverages the redesigned National Survey of Children’s Health to estimate population-level disparities...
Purpose: The purposes of this study are to determine the within subject and between subject effects of play markings, gross motor toys, and a larger play space on the physical activity of children with and without disabilities. Method: A group comparison design was implemented and a total of 12 children...
The way that an individual defines and understands the term “disability” has the potential to affect how they view and interact with people with disabilities. Previous research suggests that classroom interventions and frequent interactions with people who have disabilities can be effective in promoting the social model of disability and...
Purpose: Children with Down syndrome (DS) may have limited opportunities to engage in independent mobility at the same age as their typically developing peers due to motor delays. The primary purpose of this study was to examine two activity-oriented outcomes - (1) onset of independent driving, and (2) onset of...
Modified ride-on cars (ROCs) offer children with disabilities access to independent mobility. Aims: 1) To examine the association between caregiver attitudes towards self-directed mobility, caregiver alignment with the medical and social models of disability, and total modified ROC driving time; 2) To compare caregiver attitudes towards self-directed mobility, caregiver alignment...
The purpose of this study was to understand current caregiver attitudes towards powered mobility devices for young children with disabilities. This data was obtained by collecting surveys from pediatric physical therapists who interact with many caregivers on a daily basis and often act as the bridge between families and access...
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) engage in lesser physical activity (PA) and more time in sedentary activities as compared to those without disabilities. A subset of people with IDD who are most vulnerable to develop habits detrimental to health is the emerging adults who are transitioning from adolescence...
This thesis describes the implementation of ultrasonic sensors to trigger a stimulus to increase peer interaction for children with disabilities using modified ride-on-cars for mobility. Modified ride-on-car technology has improved mobility for children with disabilities by effectively replicating the social benefits of a powered mobility device, yet there are opportunities...