Matching Items (5)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: balance
- All Subjects: Intellectual Disability
- Creators: Holzapfel, Simon
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
- Resource Type: Text
Description
Individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) are subject to a spectrum of behavioral, cognitive and physical impairments. This population is more predisposed to comorbidity and typically has an increased risk of inactivity resulting in a lower level of fitness. Previous studies on physical activity have shown that routine exercise has similar health benefits for those with DS as those individuals without a disability and in turn progresses their balance ability. Due to limited exercise program opportunities and studies that intentionally investigate the benefits of specific modes of exercise on the DS population, a community-based Exercise Program for Adults with DS (ExDS) was created with the goal of improving their physical and mental health and measuring changes in their balance capabilities throughout the program. ExDS partnered with Arizona State University (ASU) students to create biweekly customized workouts, that followed exercise prescription guidelines, consisting of an aerobic warm-up, main aerobic exercise bout, resistance training, balance training, and stretching for each participant with DS. Participant dynamic and static balance ability was measured using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) during program pre- and post-assessments. The BBS composite score did not change and no significant improvement was seen in the p-values for each line item of the BBS from pre- to post-testing. For follow-up analyses, the participants with low treatment fidelity were removed. Follow-up analyses showed significant increases in BBS composite score and line item 13 from pre- to post-testing. Treatment fidelity was a limitation in this study and future studies should aim to increase fidelity and consistency of tester for pre- and post-testing. In conclusion, holistic exercise programming for adults with DS appears to benefit balance as long as treatment fidelity is high. It is unclear which mode of exercise had the greatest impact on changes in balance.
ContributorsShikles, Ann Kelly (Author) / Holzapfel, Simon (Thesis director) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of Assisted Cycle Therapy (ACT) on self-efficacy and exercise perception in older adults with Down syndrome (DS) after a three times a week for 8 weeks intervention. Thirteen participants were in the ACT group in which a motor assisted their cycling to be performed at least 30% faster than voluntary cycling (VC), 11 participants were in the voluntary cycling group and two participants were in the no cycling (NC) group. The results showed that both exercise groups (i.e., ACT and VC) improved in their self-efficacy after the 8 week intervention. In addition, exercise perception improved following ACT and not VC or NC. Our results are discussed with respect to their future implications for exercise in the DS population. It might be that the yielded results were due to differences in effort required by each intervention group as well as the neurotrophic factors that occur when muscle contractions create synaptic connections resulting in improvement in cognition and feelings of satisfaction. In the future, research should focus on the psychological factors such as social accountability and peer interaction as they relate to ACT and physical activity in person's with DS.
ContributorsTucker, Kori Ann (Author) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Thesis director) / Arnold, Nathaniel (Committee member) / Holzapfel, Simon (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The purpose of this study, originally, was to contribute to the completion of a meta-analysis conducted by Mara Wierstra from the University of Virginia. Wierstra had requested individual participant data from two separate studies conducted in our lab: "Acute bouts of assisted cycling improves cognitive and upper extremity movement functions in adolescents with Down syndrome" and "Assisted Cycling Therapy (ACT) improves inhibition in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder." From the data requested, the participants were required to complete three separate tests (i.e., Tower of London, Trail Making Task and the Stroop Test). After compiling the data and sending it to her, we decided to conduct a small meta-analysis of our own, drawing connecting conclusions from the data from the two studies. We concluded that observationally our data suggest an advantage for ACT over voluntary cycling and no cycling across two separate populations (i.e., Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down syndrome), and across different measures of executive function (i.e., Stroop Test, Trail Making Test, and Tower of London). The data suggest that the ACT interventions may promote the upregulation of neurotropic factors leading to neurogenesis in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
ContributorsParker, Cade Joseph (Author) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Thesis director) / Holzapfel, Simon (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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 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
Description
Why aren’t people with disabilities readily accepted into all aspects of the community and society? What are we missing out on?
Even though inclusion is a civil right, people with disabilities are commonly discriminated against and excluded in all different aspects of society. We as a community are not affording individuals with disabilities the opportunity to feel that they fully belong and have a purpose. Everyone deserves a chance to be understood and included, no matter the misconceptions or circumstances. The inclusion of people with disabilities affects all people. When we, as a community, readily accept and include individuals with disabilities, we all learn to value people’s differences and learn to see what each person has to offer.
For my creative project, I conducted a 4-week virtual speakers series on disability and inclusion. Over the course of four weeks in September 2022 I hosted a virtual speakers series with a new speaker each week focusing on different topics. Topics discussed included self-advocacy, research on inclusion and early childhood development, inclusive sports, and IEP advocacy and inclusive education.
My goal within this project and for society as a whole is for people with disabilities to be accepted and included without having to fight for it. People are afraid of what they don't know. If people with disabilities were more commonly included in the community, the fear would dissipate. People with disabilities would just be teammates, peers, and fellow employees. It would be a natural authentic everyday occurrence. I hope that society can work together to treat everyone the way they deserve to be treated.
ContributorsMaestretti, Tegan (Author) / Holzapfel, Simon (Thesis director) / Puruhito, Krista (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2022-12