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The purpose of this study was to examine state-level early learning standards specific to physical development, including fundamental motor skills and gross motor development for preschool-aged children in the United States. All standards related to motor development and specific to children ages 3–5 years were extracted from publicly available online documents from all 50 states. Upon initial review, 961 standards were extracted from all documents. Through aggregation of similar skills and elimination of duplicates across states, 48 unique skills were identified. Frequencies and proportions of states that included each skill in their standards were calculated. Descriptive results indicate that none of the 48 skills were included as a standard across all 50 states. Only three skills, running, jumping, and throwing a ball overhand were a standard in over 75% of states. Most of the skills were standards in less than 50% of states. Trends from these data show that a wide range of motor skills are included within preschool physical development standards within the United States, with large variability among states. Considering this variability, and currently low levels of motor competence among young children, additional evaluation, and future creation of best practice preschool physical development standards are warranted.

The purposes of this study were (a) to investigate the prevalence of physical educators who report delivering high-quality instructional practices to students with disabilities and (b) to examine the relationships between teachers’ qualifications and the delivery of high-quality instructional practices. A secondary analysis using data from the School Health Policy and Practice Study 2014 data set was employed. The analytic sample included 256 physical educators who taught students with disabilities. Prevalence estimates of physical educators who reported using high-quality instructional practices were calculated. Two separate binary logistic regressions using weighted data were conducted to evaluate the relative contribution of (a) teacher qualifications and (b) educational degrees in accounting for differences in the use of high-quality instructional practices. Less than half of the sample reported using high-quality instructional practices. Considering the increasing prevalence of students with disabilities in general education classrooms, teacher education programs should prioritize providing teacher candidates with coursework that aligns with the expectations of physical educators who teach students with disabilities.

The Media Richness Theory (MRT) is an important framework that has been used to explain how teachers and/or parents may use media to communicate with each other. Choosing an inappropriate medium ma...

The purposes of this study were to examine (1) the strength of the criterion validity evidence of various consumer-oriented wearable physical activity trackers, (2) the influence of brands of consumer-oriented wearable physical activity on validity evidence and (3) factors that may contribute to differences in the strength of the criterion validity evidence. A total of 589 articles were identified through four databases. Pairs of researchers reviewed the articles to determine eligibility. A total of 29 studies with 96 validity coefficients were included in the meta-analysis. Five different moderators, including the brands of physical activity trackers, placement of devices, type of activities (ambulatory vs. lifestyle activities), population, and release year, were analysed to examine which factors impact the validity evidence. The summarised validity coefficient between activity trackers and energy expenditure ranged from r = .41 to r = .91. Moderator analyses revealed that the brand, placement of the device, and population significantly impact the magnitude of the validity evidence, while the type of activity and release year of the devices do not. Device brand, population, andplacement are each factor that significantly affects the validity coefficientsbetween consumer-oriented wearable physical activity trackers. Efforts should be made to improve the accuracy of these devices to maintain the credibility of the research and the trust of consumers.

Despite the large body of literature and advocacy for evidence-based behavior management practices when working with children, explicit steps and strategies for implementing such practices are less...

The purposes of this study were to examine the effect of service learning on changes in college student attitudes toward disability and identify potential factors to improve the quality of service learning using meta-analysis.A total of 1984 potential studies were identified through 6 different databases and 14 studies met the necessary criteria for quantitative analysis. Effect sizes were estimated as Hedges'The overall effect size was positive but small (The present analysis suggests that different service-learning programs have different effects, and factors like requirement status and type of involvement may lead to greater changes in attitudes toward disability.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONAdapted physical activity service learning has positive, yet small, effects on college student attitudes toward disability.Service-learning practitioners should aim to increase autonomy within service learning by providing multiple choices and opportunities to college students, such as a variety of practicum types, locations, and disability populations to choose from.Service-learning practitioners should encourage the development of common goals between college students and people with disabilities and integrate shared activities that are familiar to both groups in order to promote optimal contact conditions and enhance attitude change.Programs that intend to change attitudes toward people with disabilities should incorporate strategies specifically designed to target attitude change.

Fitbit devices are among the most commonly used physical activity devices used by the general public. Multiple studies have examined the validity evidence of Fitbit devices of estimating energy expenditure during physical activity compared to criterion references. However, the literature lacks objective, summary validity evidence that supports the use of various models of Fitbit devices. Therefore, this study aims (a) to examine the validity evidence among the various models of Fitbit devices and (b) to investigate the influence of several device factors on the validity evidence of Fitbit models using meta-analysis. A total of 402 articles were identified through five databases. Upon review of the articles, 29 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Seven different moderator variables, including Fitbit model, device placement, type of device, heart rate capability, release year of devices, activity types and sedentary activity, were identified and included in the meta-analysis to examine their impact on the validity evidence of Fitbit devices. The summarised validity coefficient of energy expenditure during physical activity estimated by Fitbit devices and measured by criterion references was

Despite the rising interest in intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder, the extent to which interventions are effective on gross motor outcomes is currently unknown. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of different intervention approaches on gross motor outcomes among children with autism spectrum disorder using meta-analysis. A total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria for quantitative analysis. Pre- and posttest means andSDs were extracted to calculate effect sizes. Potential moderator variables were chosen based on important intervention characteristics. The results suggest that interventions have a large effect on gross motor outcomes among children with autism spectrum disorder (δ = 0.99,SE = 0.19,p

Assessment is the foundation of providing appropriate services and developing effective lesson plans for physical education. If assessment results do not truly represent a child's ability level, th...

Although the term measurement is part of the common vocabulary used in everyday language, it is a narrowly defined concept within the context of adapted physical education (APE) research. In this chapter, we define measurement as the process of linking abstract concepts to empirical indicators rather than the more traditional view of assigning numbers to objects or events according to a given rule. This definition focuses more on measurement as the process and efforts utilized to obtain accurate information and make the best possible decision, rather than the simple act of collecting data. We illustrate five steps of the measurement process including (a) observation, (b) gathering data, (c) data reduction, (d) data analysis, and (e) interpretation of data. As a supplement to the measurement process, we address three common misconceptions on evaluating the accuracy of measurement within APE research.

Background Researchers have reported relatively low estimates of physical activity among children with various developmental disabilities. However, there are inconsistencies within these reports due to methodological issues. Objective The goals of this study were to estimate the prevalence of meeting national physical activity guidelines among children with various developmental disabilities and examine the relative influence of different disability descriptors on meeting the guidelines. Methods A sample of 3,010 U.S. children between the ages of 6 and 17 years with parent-reported diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, developmental disability, and/or intellectual disability was drawn from the combined 2016 and 2017 datasets of the National Survey of Children’s Health. Multivariate logistic regression analyses explored the unique contributions of multiple child characteristics and disability descriptors, such as diagnosis type, severity, complexity, and functionality, toward meeting physical activity guidelines and compared the likelihood of meeting guidelines between children with these diagnoses. Results The results of this study reveal that the majority of children with developmental disabilities are not achieving adequate levels of daily physical activity, with only 19% of the study sample engaging in 60 min of physical activity daily. Child age and functionality were significant predictors of meeting physical activity guidelines among children within the sample. Conclusions The findings of this study highlight the potentially limiting view of physical activity participation when diagnosis type is considered alone and demonstrate the importance of considering function and other individual factors as significant predictors of physical activity among children with disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of video modeling on Test of Gross Motor Development-3 (TGMD-3) performance among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirteen participants with ASD were assessed under two separate TGMD-3 protocol conditions—traditional and video modeling. Raters were blind to the protocol condition they were observing in order to prevent bias towards one condition. Total gross motor scores were analyzed using a one-way repeated-measures ANOVA. While improvements in overall gross motor scores with the video modeling condition were observed among children with ASD, differences were not statistically significant. Additionally, the video modeling condition took significantly longer time to complete than the traditional approach. The results do not provide support for the use of video modeling to improve TGMD-3 motor performance scores. Future research is necessary considering the promotion and use of video modeling is increasing.

Research has shown that visual practices can be beneficial when working with children with autism spectrum disorder. Visual supports have been used for various objectives such as to improve social and communication skills, decrease time spent off task, and improve participation experiences in physical education. The purpose of this paper is to present two types of visual support systems 'picture-based systems and video modeling' aimed to guide and inform professionals as they work with children with ASD in physical activity and physical education settings. Practical examples and step-by-step instructions of interventions for physical activity environments are also provided.