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Adaptive Aquatics: Training Swim Instructors to Work with Individuals with Disabilities

Description
This thesis project examines the nature of aquatic exercise and the applicability and advantages it has for individuals living with a developmental disability. Specifically, this project will be taking a look at the discontinuation of the Red Cross adapted aquatics certification in the early 2000's. This certification was specifically meant…

This thesis project examines the nature of aquatic exercise and the applicability and advantages it has for individuals living with a developmental disability. Specifically, this project will be taking a look at the discontinuation of the Red Cross adapted aquatics certification in the early 2000's. This certification was specifically meant for swim instructors to teach those with disabilities. However, this program was cut in 2004 and has not been replaced in the current Red Cross literature, excluding a single chapter of limited scope and does not include in-person training. Therefore, this project is meant to be a multifaceted study of the history, benefits, and limitations of re-instituting this and similar programs that help prepare aquatics teachers to aid individuals with disabilities, specifically individuals living with cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder. The primary goal of this project is to take an understanding of aquatics as a method of healing and apply these findings in order to promote the continued growth of aquatic exercise in a way that will make it more accessible to individuals who may not be able to participate in such an environment otherwise. This paper will also be exploring future endeavors related to adapted aquatics groups, and what steps should be taken to bolster awareness and participation, both through the Red Cross and other organizations. For this project I will be relying not only on current journalistic literature, but also my own experiences as an instructor of Red Cross swimming lessons, and the Sioux Falls based group, Adaptive Aquatics.
ContributorsHansen, Emily Ann (Author) / Collins, Michael (Thesis director) / Washo-Krupps, Delon (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
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Effects of Story Champs and Puente de Cuentos on Bilingual Preschoolers' Use of Emotional Terms and Ability to Tell Stories

Description
This pilot study evaluated whether Story Champs and Puente de Cuentos helped bilingual preschoolers increase their usage of emotional terms and ability to tell stories. Participants in this study included 10 Spanish-English bilingual preschoolers. Intervention was conducted in 9 sessions over 3 days using the Test of Narrative Retell to…

This pilot study evaluated whether Story Champs and Puente de Cuentos helped bilingual preschoolers increase their usage of emotional terms and ability to tell stories. Participants in this study included 10 Spanish-English bilingual preschoolers. Intervention was conducted in 9 sessions over 3 days using the Test of Narrative Retell to measure results. Results did not find significant gains in either emotional term usage or ability to tell stories, but the results were promising as a pilot study.
ContributorsSato, Leslie Mariko (Author) / Restrepo, Maria (Thesis director) / Dixon, Maria (Committee member) / Department of Speech and Hearing Science (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05

Examining the Impact of Language Acquisition on Behavior Plans of Three School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Description

The present study investigated the communicative characteristics of challenging behavior documented in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and how those behaviors changed as receptive and expressive language skills changed. Several years of the individual education plans (IEPs), behavior plans, and test scores of three male students from a small…

The present study investigated the communicative characteristics of challenging behavior documented in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and how those behaviors changed as receptive and expressive language skills changed. Several years of the individual education plans (IEPs), behavior plans, and test scores of three male students from a small non- public school (NPS) were reviewed for this study. Challenging behaviors that served a communicative function showed some signs of diminishing as functional communication increased. While functional communication did show signs of increasing with the acquisition of expressive and receptive language the participants differed in their dependence on prompting to use functional communication in lieu of challenging behavior. Additionally, some of the challenging behaviors were rooted in a difficulty with self-regulation and stimming behavior and didn't appear to serve a communicative function. Given the significant impact challenging behaviors have on the quality life of the children with ASD and their families, more research is needed to better understand the connection between spontaneous and independent functional communication and duration to independent attention to task effects on challenging behavior.
ContributorsPringle, Deborah (Author) / Bruce, Laurel (Thesis director) / Dixon, Maria (Committee member) / Elliott, Alicia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2023-05
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The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Executive Function in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Description
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known to show impairments in various domains of executive function (EF) such as behavioral flexibility or inhibitory control. Research suggests that EF impairment in adults with ASD may relate to ASD core symptoms, restrictive behaviors and social communication deficits. Mindfulness-based stress…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known to show impairments in various domains of executive function (EF) such as behavioral flexibility or inhibitory control. Research suggests that EF impairment in adults with ASD may relate to ASD core symptoms, restrictive behaviors and social communication deficits. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has shown promise for improving EF abilities in neurotypical adults, but research has not explored its efficacy or neural mechanisms in adults with ASD. This pilot study examines the effects of an 8-week MBSR intervention on self-report measures of EF and resting-state functional connectivity in a sample of adults with ASD. Fifty-four participants were assigned either to an MBSR group (n = 29) or a social support group (n = 25). Executive function was measured using the BRIEF-2 before and after the intervention for the twenty-seven participants in the second cohort. MBSR-specific improvements in EF were found for BRIEF measures of initiation, inhibition, and working-memory. Resting-state fMRI data was analyzed using independent component analysis (ICA), and group by time resting-state functional connectivity differences were observed between the cerebellar network and frontal regions including the right frontal pole (rFP), medial frontal cortex (MFC) and left and right superior frontal gyri (SFG). The MBSR group showed increases in functional connectivity between the cerebellum and EF regions which correlated with improvements in BRIEF-2 measures. These findings suggest that MBSR may improve EF domains in adults with ASD, and that increases in functional connectivity between the cerebellum and frontal regions while at rest may be a mechanism for such improvements.
ContributorsGuerithault, Nicolas (Author) / Braden, B. Blair (Thesis advisor) / Rogalsky, Corianne (Committee member) / Dixon, Maria (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021