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Objective: We evaluated the extent to which providing training and technical assistance to early childcare centre (ECC) directors, faculty and staff in the implementation of evidence-based nutrition strategies improved the nutrition contexts, policies and practices of ECC serving racially and ethnically diverse, low-income children in Broward County, Florida, USA. The nutrition strategies targeted snack and beverage policies and practices, consistent with Caring for Our Children National Standards.Design: We used the nutrition observation and document review portions of the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) instrument to observe ECC as part of a one-group pre-test/post-test evaluation design.Setting: ECC located within areas of high rates of poverty, diabetes, minority representation and unhealthy food index in Broward County, Florida, USA.Subjects: Eighteen ECC enrolled, mean 112·9 (sd 53·4) children aged 2-5 years; 12·3 (sd 7·2) staff members; and 10·2 (sd 4·6) children per staff member at each centre.Results: We found significant improvements in centres' overall nutrition contexts, as measured by total EPAO nutrition scores (P=0·01). ECC made specific significant gains within written nutrition policies (P=0·03) and nutrition training and education (P=0·01).Conclusions: Our findings support training ECC directors, faculty and staff in evidence-based nutrition strategies to improve the nutrition policies and practices of ECC serving racially and ethnically diverse children from low-income families. The intervention resulted in improvements in some nutrition policies and practices, but not others. There remains a need to further develop the evaluation base involving the effectiveness of policy and practice interventions within ECC serving children in high-need areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavioral interventions for children with ASD typically target disability specific behaviors such as social skills and communication. There is a particular need for age-appropriate interventions/programs for school-aged children with ASD to teach age-appropriate behaviors (Dawson & Burner, 2011). Adapted physical activity appears to be an appropriate means to help eliminate this disparity and teach agea-ppropriate motor behaviors (Staples & Reid, 2010; MacDonald, Esposito & Ulrich, 2011; MacDonald, Lord & Ulrich, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to outline the behavior management strategies used in a two-wheeled bicycle riding intervention for children with autism, and provide examples of how these techniques can be transferred to the home environment. Examples are provided as to how parents or other family members can utilize these behavior modification techniques to increase two-wheeled bicycle riding frequency at home for school-aged children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based physical activity, provided by the community sector, allows for a safe and effective delivery of physical activity for children with disabilities (USDHHS, 2008). To assist community- based health professionals in providing community-based physical activity to children with disabilities, three evidence-based resources will be presented: (1) Global and national resources and certifications (2) Facility and program accessibility measures such as AIMFREE, and (3) Collaboration with academic and clinical sectors by the utilization of the Healthy People 2010 Toolkit. Through the use of these tangible resources, community health professionals can become better prepared in the delivery of community-based physical activity for children with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]