The primary goal of this study is to assess and develop an understanding of the effects of Assisted Cycling Therapy on manual motor performance in children with Down syndrome. Seven children (Mage 11.6 years old) completed a 30-minute cycle session 2x/week for 8 weeks on the PACT bicycle at a…
The primary goal of this study is to assess and develop an understanding of the effects of Assisted Cycling Therapy on manual motor performance in children with Down syndrome. Seven children (Mage 11.6 years old) completed a 30-minute cycle session 2x/week for 8 weeks on the PACT bicycle at a 35% greater rate than their self-selected rate. Pre- and post-testing of grip force with a dynamometer and unimanual and bimanual manual dexterity using the Purdue Pegboard were measured to determine changes in force production and fine motor control, respectively. Results consistently showed improvements in grip force in both hands and bimanual dexterity following PACT. My results are interpreted with respect to cerebral lateralization and neuroplasticity following PACT intervention.
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.
