Feasibility study of perceived exertion and heart rate of children with ASD during swimming

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
Lisa Mische Lawson, PhD, CTRS ◽  
Caitlin Lisk, MSW

This study explored the feasibility of manual heart rate and the Pictorial Children’s Effort Rating Table (PCERT) to measure moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sixteen children with ASD participated in weekly, 30-minute Sensory Enhanced Aquatics swimming lessons. Swim instructors measured heart rate, and swimmers rated their physical activity levels using the PCERT. Results showed swimmers’ heart rate and perceived exertion significantly increased from the beginning to the end of lessons. However, both measures were difficult to implement, indicating they may not be feasible for this population. Future research should investigate alternative objective measures to quantify MVPA with the ASD population with use of devices such as the Garmin Swim, Fit Bit, or Actigraph.

Author(s):  
Mahdi Rostami Haji Abadi ◽  
Yuwen Zheng ◽  
Tiffany Wharton ◽  
Colleen Dell ◽  
Hassanali Vatanparast ◽  
...  

AbstractIt remains unclear if participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) differs between children with ASD and typically developing children (TDC). We compared daily MVPA, time spent in MVPA during physical education (PE) and recess, and odds of not meeting MVPA recommendation (60 min/day) between children with ASD and TDC. Nine studies reporting accelerometer-measured MVPA were included in the meta-analyses. MVPA was 30 min lower/day, 12% and 8% lower during PE and recess, respectively, in children with ASD, and they had 4 times higher odds of not meeting MVPA recommendation when compared to TDC. Children with ASD engage in daily MVPA less than TDC and below the guidelines. Tailored interventions to increase MVPA in children with ASD are warranted.


Author(s):  
Sarah N. Douglas ◽  
Yan Shi ◽  
Saptarshi Das ◽  
Subir Biswas

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle to develop appropriate social skills, which can lead to later social rejection, isolation, and mental health concerns. Educators play an important role in supporting and monitoring social skill development for children with ASD, but the tools used by educators are often tedious, lack suitable sensitivity, provide limited information to plan interventions, and are time-consuming. Therefore, we conducted a study to evaluate the use of a sensor system to measure social proximity between three children with ASD and their peers in an inclusive preschool setting. We compared video-coded data with sensor data using point-by-point agreement to measure the accuracy of the sensor system. Results suggest that the sensor system can adequately measure social proximity between children with ASD and their peers. The next steps for sensor system validation are discussed along with clinical and educational implications, limitations, and future research directions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kacie Dunham ◽  
Jacob I. Feldman ◽  
Yupeng Liu ◽  
Margaret Cassidy ◽  
Julie G. Conrad ◽  
...  

Abstract Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display differences in multisensory function as quantified by several different measures. This study estimated the stability of variables derived from commonly used measures of multisensory function in school-aged children with ASD. Participants completed: a simultaneity judgment task for audiovisual speech, tasks designed to elicit the McGurk effect, listening-in-noise tasks, electroencephalographic recordings, and eye-tracking tasks. Results indicate the stability of indices derived from tasks tapping multisensory processing is variable. These findings have important implications for measurement in future research. Averaging scores across repeated observations will often be required to obtain acceptably stable estimates and, thus, to increase the likelihood of detecting effects of interest, as it relates to multisensory processing in children with ASD.


2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip S. Strain ◽  
Ilene S. Schwartz ◽  
Erin E. Barton

Over the past 25 years, we have learned a great deal about the diagnosis, treatment, and impact of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) on young children and their families. The authors describe several overarching themes that have emerged in the educational research on young children with ASD. The focus of their article is on education-based research because public education remains the one comprehensive service to which all children with ASD are entitled to free of charge. Four themes (i.e., inclusion, systematic and effective instruction, intensity, and social context) are described in terms of the major findings and impact on policy and practices. The authors conclude with a summary of implications for future research for the next 25 years.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aviva Must ◽  
Sarah Phillips ◽  
Carol Curtin ◽  
Linda G. Bandini

Background:Individual, social, and community barriers to physical activity (PA) experienced by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make PA participation more difficult and may contribute to increased screen time.Methods:We compared the prevalence of parent-reported barriers to PA among 58 typically developing (TD) children and 53 children with an ASD, 3 to 11 years, and assessed the association between barriers and PA participation and screen time among children with ASD.Results:Parents of children with ASD reported significantly more barriers than parents of TD children. Based on parent-report, 60% of children with ASD required too much supervision compared with no TD children (P < .001). Parents of children with ASD were more likely to report that adults lack skills needed to include their child (58%), that their child has few friends (45%), and that other children exclude their child (23%). The number of parent-reported barriers to PA was inversely correlated with the hours spent in PA per year (r = −0.27, P = .05) and positively related to total screen time (r = .32, P < .03).Conclusions:These findings underscore the need for community-based PA programs designed to meet the special requirements of this population and policies that compel schools and other government-supported organizations for inclusion and/or targeted programming.


Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132098131
Author(s):  
J Dahlgren ◽  
S Healy ◽  
M MacDonald ◽  
J Geldhof ◽  
K Palmiere ◽  
...  

To date, studies using cross-sectional methodologies make up a majority of the literature surrounding children with autism spectrum disorders and participation in physical activity and screen time. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine how physical activity and screen time behaviors co-develop for children with and without an autism spectrum disorder. To address this research gap, this study compared how physical activity and screen time levels changed over time (9 to 18 years of age) between youth with autism spectrum disorder and youth with neurotypical development. Data on the levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, light physical activity, television-, and video game-based screen time, collected as a part of the “Growing up in Ireland” study, were compared between youth with autism spectrum disorder and a propensity-matched sample of youth with neurotypical development ( n = 88 per group; 176 in total). Robust regression analyses indicated that children with autism spectrum disorder became less active over time compared to children with neurotypical development and that video game screen time also differed significantly between the groups when children were 9 years old. These findings elucidate important disparities present between these groups of children during pivotal developmental times. Lay abstract To date, studies using cross-sectional methodologies make up a majority of the literature surrounding children with autism spectrum disorders and participation in physical activity and screen time. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine how physical activity and screen time behaviors co-develop for children with and without an autism spectrum disorder. To address this research gap, this study compared how physical activity and screen time levels changed over time (from 9 to 18 years of age) between youth with autism spectrum disorder and youth with neurotypical development. Data on the levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, light physical activity, television-, and video game-based screen time, collected as a part of the “Growing up in Ireland” study, were compared between youth with autism spectrum disorder and a propensity-matched sample of youth with neurotypical development ( n = 88 per group; 176 in total). Robust regression analyses indicated that children with autism spectrum disorder became less active over time compared to children with neurotypical development and that video game screen time also differed significantly between the groups when children were 9 years old. These findings elucidate important disparities present between these groups of children during pivotal developmental times.


Author(s):  
Geneviève LaRoche ◽  
Catherine Des Rivières-Pigeon

This qualitative study examines the social support of parents of children with ASD living in Québec, Canada. Eighteen parents described their social support experiences before and after their child’s first signs of ASD. The results of this study indicate that parents recall many unhelpful support experiences after their child’s first signs of ASD. The results also suggest that the parents’ support needs greatly outweigh the support they perceive from family and friends. To our knowledge, this study is the first to recognise that receiving adequate social support requires significant involvement from parents who find themselves having to compensate for the lack of knowledge about autism in the general population. The results of this study put forth the active role that parents play in the reshaping of their support relationships and highlight the changes that occur in these relationships over time. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Luke P. Grosvenor ◽  
Daniel G. Whitney ◽  
Heather E. Volk ◽  
M. Daniele Fallin

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a higher prevalence of pain compared to those without ASD. Pain is a leading cause of morbidity and disability worldwide and may contribute to adverse health outcomes in people with ASD, thus warranting further research on this special population. The present study used data from 1,423 children with ASD and 46,023 children without ASD and their mothers from the combined 2016-2017 National Survey of Children’s Health. Mothers reported child pain and ASD status and their own mental health status. Mothers reporting a status of “Fair or Poor” were considered as having maternal mental health conditions (MMHCs) for the purposes of this study. Children with and without ASD who had mothers with MMHCs had higher odds of pain compared to children with mothers without MMHCs. These increased odds did not attenuate as a result of controlling for co-occurring neurological conditions, which have been associated with increased pain in children with ASD. Thus, parent mental health may alter perception and/or reports of pain on behalf of children with and without ASD. Future research should include more detailed assessments of parent mental health and clinical assessments of children in order to explore the role of parent mental health in the experiences of pain and other symptoms present in children with ASD.


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