Barrett

Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.

Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.

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Characterizing Reactive Lateral Stepping in People with PD

Description

Introduction: Lateral reactive stepping is correlated with impairment in people with Parkinson’s Disease (PwPD). Despite this, there is little known of lateral stepping strategies and performance of these strategies in reactive stepping. Objective: To characterize step strategy in people with PD, characterize changes in these stepping strategies through training, and…

Introduction: Lateral reactive stepping is correlated with impairment in people with Parkinson’s Disease (PwPD). Despite this, there is little known of lateral stepping strategies and performance of these strategies in reactive stepping. Objective: To characterize step strategy in people with PD, characterize changes in these stepping strategies through training, and identify performance improvements in the lateral step strategies. Methods: A total of 31 PwPd who are currently at risk for falls took part in an 18-week various background reactive stepping intervention. The stepping strategies were assessed on two baseline assessments (B1 and B2) immediately followed by a 6- session step training intervention occurring over two weeks. Step strategies were again assessed immediately after training (P1) and two months later (P2). Initial outcomes were characterized step strategies, changes in step strategies, and improvement in performance of step strategies. Results: Three step strategies were established and split into two groups (no cross and cross). Changes in step strategies did not occur significantly both before and after training. Improvement in performance of the step strategies occurred at a significant amount (p=0.05) via a decrease in use of support after training occurred for any step strategies utilized. Conclusion: Step strategies were characterized, and performance of strategies was improved upon following the 2-week training. Lateral step strategies are defined and repeated throughout reactive step training with potential for improvement.
ContributorsBosard, Cal (Author) / Peterson, Daniel (Thesis director) / Larson, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2023-05

The Effects of Ballet Specific Training on Balance in Young Individuals with Down syndrome

Description
The genetic disorder Down syndrome (DS), clinically known as Trisomy 21, is characterized by the presence of either a part or full extra copy of chromosome 21. When compared with children of typical development, children with DS consistently score lower on gross motor skill tasks. Balance specifically is one of…

The genetic disorder Down syndrome (DS), clinically known as Trisomy 21, is characterized by the presence of either a part or full extra copy of chromosome 21. When compared with children of typical development, children with DS consistently score lower on gross motor skill tasks. Balance specifically is one of the hardest skills for individuals with DS (especially children) to acquire, and neglecting to train balance early on can predispose individuals with DS to further movement instabilities, injuries, social struggles from activity limitations, and an overall lack of independence. One of the more unique forms of physical activity that requires a large amount of both static and dynamic balance is ballet. Dance-specific therapy has been shown to improve gross motor control functioning and specifically balance in a variety of populations with neuromuscular condions, but the research around ballet-specific therapy for those with DS is lacking. The purpose of this pilot study was to further investigate the effects of ballet-specific training on balance ability and general motor functioning in young students with DS as measured by the Four Square Step Test (FSST), Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), and the gross and fine motor domains of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale lll (VABS lll). It was hypothesized that participation in the 6-week summer cohort of Ballet Arizona’s Adaptive Dance Program would lead to improved scores on the PBS and VABS lll and decreased test times in the FSST. Improvements were observed for all measures for both participants (sample size n=2), except for P1's FSST, which increased in post-testing by 2.25s. Due to the study design, no conclusive statements can be made about whether the ballet program was responsible for the improvements observed in post-testing. More rigorous research with larger sample sizes (>30) is warranted to more fully understand the impact of an adapted ballet program on the balance ability of young individuals with DS. However, the program is still recommended for young individuals with DS because of the benefits it provides outside of motor skill development.
ContributorsMitrovic, Jelena (Author) / Peterson, Daniel (Thesis director) / Holzapfel, Simon (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2022-12
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The effects of variable training on generalization during loss of balance

Description
Reactive step and treadmill perturbation training have been shown to improve first step measurements and reduce falls. However, the effect of variable training on the efficacy of generalization is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to measure whether the addition of variability in the perturbation training…

Reactive step and treadmill perturbation training have been shown to improve first step measurements and reduce falls. However, the effect of variable training on the efficacy of generalization is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to measure whether the addition of variability in the perturbation training protocol can increase the amount of generalization seen in forward perturbations. The study included 28 young, healthy adults between the age of 20-35 years old with no known significant medical history. Fifteen participants underwent constant training in one direction with the same belt acceleration (4 m/s2) and thirteen participants underwent variable training where their foot positioned and belt acceleration (3 m/s2, 4 m/s2, 5 m/s2) were randomized throughout the collections All slips were done in the forward direction requiring a forward reactive step. To assess the effects of variable training an independent sample t-test of the differences in generalization between each group was calculated. Primary outcome variables in both studies were margin of stability (MOS), step length, and step latency. Results from the study indicated that variable training made no significant improvement (p<0.05) in generalization across the variables. The P-values for the difference in generalization of MOS, step length, and step latency were 0.635, 0.225, 0.148 respectively. Despite the lack of significant evidence to support improvement in generalization with variable training, further investigations are warranted to develop training methods capable of reducing falls in at risk populations.
ContributorsArroyo, Randall Adrian (Author) / Peterson, Daniel (Thesis director) / Ofori, Edward (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05