A longitudinal health promotion program for autistic children and their caregivers: Impact of an urban community-based program.

Autistic children, as well as their primary caregivers (e.g., parents), experience greater health disparities when compared with the general population.

Trajectories of physical activity among autistic children and their caregivers: Outcomes of a virtual 1-year longitudinal intervention.

Background: Participation in regular physical activity (PA) is a critical component of overall well-being. However, opportunities to engage in health-enhancing PA for families who have an autistic child are relatively obsolete. A virtual PA intervention has the potential to address many participation barriers and represents a timely opportunity to promote positive trajectories of PA among vulnerable populations.

Retracted publications in autism research are mostly concerned with ethical misconduct.

Background: As the prevalence of autism appears to increase, more research to guide effective diagnosis and intervention practices is needed. Findings disseminated through peer-reviewed publications are critical, but the number of retractions continues to rise. An understanding of retracted publications is imperative to ensure the body of evidence is corrected and current.

MYTime: A Mindfulness and Yoga Program to Promote Health Outcomes in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Parenting a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder can be stressful and result in health consequences for the caregivers, a population that is often overlooked and underserved. While mind-body interventions such as mindfulness yoga can help promote positive health outcomes, limited research has explored the impact of such a program on caregivers of children on the autism spectrum.

Objective: The primary objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of a 12-week mindfulness yoga program (MYtime) on perceived stress, anxiety, and depression among urban caregivers of children on the autism spectrum.

A-ONE - An Accessible Online Nutrition & Exercise Program For Youth with Physical Disabilities.

Background: Pediatric disability prevalence has increased to 17.8% in recent years. This youth population faces a range of individual, social, and environmental level barriers to a healthy lifestyle.

Promoting physical activity participation and nutrition education through a telehealth intervention for children on the autism spectrum and their caregivers.

There is growing empirical support which suggests children on the autism spectrum, as well as their caregivers experience significant health disparities. The global COVID-19 pandemic has only magnified the need to address health among vulnerable populations. While there has been a growing trend in the delivery of telehealth interventions, the delivery of such methods for children on the autism spectrum, and their caregivers remains relatively under examined.

The Relationship Between Developmental Coordination Disorder and Concurrent Deficits in Social Communication and Repetitive Behaviors Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), characterized by core deficits in social communication and restrictive behaviors, can exhibit concurrent motor incoordination and/or intellectual disability (ID). While pervasive delays in motor behavior are common, formal diagnosis of Development Coordination Disorder (DCD) is uncommon. It is not clear how DCD and ID impact core deficits in ASD.

Physical activity and motor skill outcomes of a 10-week intervention for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities ages 4-13: A pilot study.

Background: Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often experience increased barriers to engaging in physical activity (PA) which can stem from lack of gross motor function (GMF) development. Intervening on GMF at an early age can create better opportunities for children with IDD to engage in regular PA. In turn, increased PA can improve health outcomes and increase social skills.

Minimum Accelerometer Wear Time in Infants: A Generalizability Study.

Background: Research measuring physical activity behaviors during infancy is critical for evaluation of early intervention efforts to reduce rapid weight gain. There is little known about the physical activity patterns of infants, due in part to limited evidence for measurement procedures. This study sought to determine the minimal number of days and hours of accelerometry needed to reliably measure daily physical activity in infants using Generalizability (G) theory.

Methodology to Promote Physical Activity Monitoring Adherence in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Objective physical activity (PA) monitoring accelerometry is both costly and time consuming. Furthermore, overall adherence to a monitoring protocol is often complicated by disability. Therefore, it is essential that strategies for supporting accelerometer wear for youth with disabilities are maximized.