Effect of Longitudinal Practice in Real and Virtual Environments on Motor Performance, Physical Activity and Enjoyment in People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Prospective Randomized Crossover Controlled Trial.

(1) Background: People with ASD commonly present difficulty performing motor skills and a decline in physical activity (PA) level and low enjoyment of PA. We aimed to evaluate whether longitudinal practice of an activity in virtual and real environments improves motor performance and whether this improvement is transferred to a subsequent practice when changing the environment, promoting PA and providing enjoyment; (2) Methods: People with ASD, aged between 10 and 16 years, were included and distributed randomly into two opposite sequences. The participants performed a 10 session protocol, with five sessions practicing in each environment (virtual or real).

Comparison of cardiac autonomic modulation of athletes and non-athletes individuals with spinal cord injury at rest and during a non-immersive virtual reality task.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To compare cardiac autonomic modulation of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) that practice different amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) and able-bodied controls at rest and during a non-immersive Virtual Reality task.

Setting: Athletes with SCI of wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair handball, WCMX (wheelchair motocross), and para-swimming were assessed at the Faca na Cadeira Institute, ICEL and Clube Espéria in São Paulo, Brazil; non-athletes with SCI and able-bodied controls were assessed at the Acreditando Centro de Recuperação Neuromotora, São Paulo, Brazil.