BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION FOR EATING AND EXERCISE CHALLENGES IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disability characterized by deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors relied on for social interactions, deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of interest and behavior, and sensitivity to certain sensory inputs. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder are at an increased risk for multiple medical health concerns when compared to typically developing individuals, including overweight and obesity. Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern in the U.S. While many efforts have been made to prevent childhood obesity, few have been designed to align with the unique challenges faced by individuals on the autism spectrum. The present program development model includes combined weekly in-clinic therapy sessions and daily participation in online activities for parent(s) of autistic children as well as the child who is on the autism spectrum. Using the “5-2-1-0 Healthy Numbers for Kentucky Kids” initiative as a basis for behavior goals, the present program proposes implementation of interventions with empirical support for treating this population. Importantly, this intervention is meant to be applicable to children with autism across the nation, not only those residing in Kentucky. While the original initiative (5-2-1-0 Healthy Numbers for Kentucky Kids) on which this intervention is based was created for Kentucky children, childhood obesity is a national concern (Vorkoper, Artega, Berrigan, Bialy, Bremer, Cotton, & Anand, 2021)

Strategies to Promote Weight Loss in Adolescents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Introduction: Adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at an increased risk of obesity with up to 55% considered overweight and 31% obese. However, there has been minimal research on weight management strategies for adolescents with IDD. This series of studies aimed to (1) compare the effectiveness of two weight loss diets, an enhanced stop light diet (eSLD) and a conventional diet (CD), for overweight and obese adolescents with IDD, (2) to determine the feasibility of using tablet computers as a weight loss tool in overweight and obese adolescents with IDD, (3) to determine if the use of photo-assisted 3-day food records significantly improved the estimation of energy and macronutrient intake reported in proxy assisted 3-day food records in adolescents with IDD, and (4) to evaluate the intervention components of the program by discovering parents' feelings and opinions on the intervention program for both diet groups. Methods: A 2-month pilot intervention was conducted. All participants were randomized to the eSLD or CD, and were given a tablet computer which they used to track daily dietary intake and physical activity. Participants and a parent met weekly with a health educator via video chat on the tablet computer to receive diet and physical activity feedback and education. Participants completed a proxy-assisted 3-day food record and took pictures of all meals at baseline and the end of month 2 to determine dietary intake, and parents of participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview at the end of the study. Results: Twenty participants (45% female, 14.9 ± 2.2 yrs. old) were randomized and completed the intervention (10 eSLD, 10 CD). Participants in both diets were able to lose weight, the mean weight change in the eSLD group is 1.67kg more than that of the CD group, but the difference (eSLD: -3.89 ± 2.66 kg vs. CD: -2.22 ± 1.37 kg)was not statistically significant. Furthermore, participants in both groups increased their diet quality as measured by the HEI-2005. Participants were able to use the tablet computer to track their dietary intake 90.4% (range: 27.8%-100%) of possible days, to track their physical activity 64.3% (range: 0%-100%) of possible days, and to attend 80.0% of the video chat meetings. The use of photo-assisted food records significantly increased the estimates of energy intake by 16.7% (p=0.0006) at baseline and 10.6% (p=0.0305) at the end of month 2 compared to use of proxy-assisted food records. Interviews identified that parents had a positive attitude towards the program, liked the convenience of the program, appreciated the use of the tablet computer, and felt that the program taught beneficial strategies to continue to encourage healthy habits in the home. Conclusion: A weight loss program in adolescents with IDD was successfully conducted, with overall acceptability from both adolescents and parents. Both the eSLD and the CD were identified as weight management strategies that could potentially lead to clinically significant weight loss in adolescents with IDD, and tablet computers were found to be a feasible tool and delivery system for weight loss in adolescents with IDD. The results also suggest that photo-assisted 3-day food records may provide better estimates of energy intake in adolescents with IDD compared to proxy-assisted 3-day food records. Finally, parents reported changing their behaviors to help their child successfully follow a weight loss intervention, but may need more education about the benefits of physical activity and ideas on how to increase the physical activity of adolescents with IDD

Can 3D gamified simulations be valid vocational training tools for persons with intellectual disability? A pilot based on a real-life situation

Objective: To investigate if 3D gamified simulations can be valid vocational training tools for persons with intellectual disability. Methods: A 3D gamified simulation composed by a set of training tasks for cleaning in hostelry was developed in collaboration with professionals of a real hostel and pedagogues of a special needs school. The learning objectives focus on the acquisition of vocabulary skills, work procedures, social abilities and risk prevention. Several accessibility features were developed to make the tasks easy to do from a technological point-of-view. A pilot experiment was conducted to test the pedagogical efficacy of this tool on intellectually disabled workers and students. Results: User scores in the gamified simulation follow a curve of increasing progression. When confronted with reality, they recognized the scenario and tried to reproduce what they had learned in the simulation. Finally, they were interested in the tool, they showed a strong feeling of immersion and engagement, and they reported having fun. Conclusions: On the basis of this experiment we believe that 3D gamified simulations can be efficient tools to train social and professional skills of persons with intellectual disabilities contributing thus to foster their social inclusion through work.Postprint (author's final draft

Sorterius: Game-inspired App for Encouraging Outdoor Physical Activity for People with Intellectual Disabilities

People with intellectual disabilities have difficulties in reaching the World Health Organization's (WHO) suggested level of physical activity. Previous research shows that participating in physical activities often is related to self-efficacy in a physical activity setting and personal motivation. As physical activity has significant effects on physical and mental health, this thesis aimed to develop a mobile application that could help people with intellectual disabilities be more physically active. In the process of creating an encouraging and user-friendly mobile application, this project includes literature reviews, meetings with experts in the field, discussions with special education teachers and teachers working with people with intellectual disability, and the author's own experience with this user group. The project relies on guidelines and theory to create a user interface to fit people with intellectual disabilities. This thesis presents a cross-platform mobile application that combines the digital and real world. Using augmented reality, players walk around in the real world looking after digital garbage. As they walk, they will find garbage on the ground and get the option of sorting the garbage in the correct garbage bins. The game's main objective is to look for garbage and throw it in the correct garbage bin. As users progress throughout the game, they earn stars based on their step count while playing the game. Together with family members or assistants, they can add weekly physical activity goals and earn special rewards created by family members or assistants. Usability testing is mainly done on special education teachers, social workers, psychologist, and researchers working with people with intellectual disabilities. It revealed that creating a mobile application focusing on everyday life scenarios can have a potential value for the targeted user group. However, testing also showed that using augmented reality can be challenging. Long-term testing on individuals with an intellectual disability will start in the upcoming weeks in a study conducted by the University Hospital of North Norway (UNN), in collaboration with UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Bringing Meaningful Grade Aligned English Language Arts to the Classroom: Bridging Research and Practice

Instruction in meaningful grade aligned English Language Arts (ELA) content for students with moderate to severe intellectual and developmental disabilities provides a full educational experience that can lead to increased quality of life. Many teachers, however, face barriers in how to teach meaningful, grade aligned ELA. This article bridges research to practice by describing effective strategies for teaching a wide range of strands that fall under ELA, such as comprehension, writing, and student-led research. In addition, a framework is offered as a model of how to put it all together when teaching grade aligned ELA

International Conference Sport, Health and Society

UBT Annual International Conference is the 11th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make them be aware of the recent advancements in different research fields, and provide them with a unique forum to share their experiences. It is also the place to support the new academic staff for doing research and publish their work in international standard level. This conference consists of sub conferences in different fields like: Art and Digital Media Agriculture, Food Science and Technology Architecture and Spatial Planning Civil Engineering, Infrastructure and Environment Computer Science and Communication Engineering Dental Sciences Education and Development Energy Efficiency Engineering Integrated Design Information Systems and Security Journalism, Media and Communication Law Language and Culture Management, Business and Economics Modern Music, Digital Production and Management Medicine and Nursing Mechatronics, System Engineering and Robotics Pharmaceutical and Natural Sciences Political Science Psychology Sport, Health and Society Security Studies This conference is the major scientific event of the UBT. It is organizing annually and always in cooperation with the partner universities from the region and Europe. We have to thank all Authors, partners, sponsors and also the conference organizing team making this event a real international scientific event. Edmond Hajrizi, President of UBT UBT – Higher Education Institutio

International Conference on Sport

UBT Annual International Conference is the 11th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make them be aware of the recent advancements in different research fields, and provide them with a unique forum to share their experiences. It is also the place to support the new academic staff for doing research and publish their work in international standard level. This conference consists of sub conferences in different fields like: Art and Digital Media Agriculture, Food Science and Technology Architecture and Spatial Planning Civil Engineering, Infrastructure and Environment Computer Science and Communication Engineering Dental Sciences Education and Development Energy Efficiency Engineering Integrated Design Information Systems and Security Journalism, Media and Communication Law Language and Culture Management, Business and Economics Modern Music, Digital Production and Management Medicine and Nursing Mechatronics, System Engineering and Robotics Pharmaceutical and Natural Sciences Political Science Psychology Sport, Health and Society Security Studies This conference is the major scientific event of the UBT. It is organizing annually and always in cooperation with the partner universities from the region and Europe. We have to thank all Authors, partners, sponsors and also the conference organizing team making this event a real international scientific event. Edmond Hajrizi, President of UBT UBT – Higher Education Institutio

Increasing Health, Wellness, and Self-Care in Older Adults Experiencing Mental Health Effects During and After a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic calls for new solutions in promoting increased health, wellness, and self-care in older adults experiencing mental health effects during and after a pandemic. As the virus began to spread in the United States in early 2020, social distancing measures were implemented to reduce the spread of the virus. During this time of uncertainty, assisted living facilities (ALF) put a halt to all program activities, mealtimes in the communal dining area, and any other activities or events that were face-to-face. Along with activity programming, most facilities restricted visitors from entering the building including residents’ loved ones. These factors led to extreme isolation resulting in other detrimental health effects on this population. An extensive literature review was conducted to identify problematic areas impacting occupational performance. The person-environment-occupation model (Law et al., 1996) provided a framework for developing questions that correspond with the different components and their transactions. Based on the results from the literature, the needs were confirmed through informal interviews with residents residing in an ALF. A product was then developed to provide occupation-based and client-centered interventions for residents living in an ALF during and after a pandemic. The author utilized the eight dimensions of wellness (SAMHSA, 2016) as a framework for the program sessions as all areas are inter-connected contributing to quality of life and wellbeing. This provided a holistic approach to wellness in addressing many of the unique needs older adults identified during times of a pandemic. The product includes a guide for the application of the PEO model, an overview of the intervention protocols, twenty-five intervention strategies within the eight dimensions of wellness, additional suggested intervention strategies for the occupational therapist, and outcome measures. There are two to four interventions addressed in each dimension of wellness. The dimensions include physical, emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, social, and spiritual wellness. It is anticipated that after completion of the program, older adults will improve occupational performance in health, wellness, and self-care, presumably leading to improved quality of life. This product addresses mental health concerns, promotes active engagement in healthy living, and allows aging in place for older adults

iPulse: November 2013

Issues: November 1, 2013 November 4, 2013 November 5, 2013 November 6, 2013 November 7, 2013 November 8, 2013 November 11, 2013 November 12, 2013 November 14, 2013 November 15, 2013 November 18, 2013 November 19, 2013 November 20, 2013 November 21, 2013https://spiral.lynn.edu/studentnews/1192/thumbnail.jp