Browsing by Author "Stanton-Nichols, Kathleen A."

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    Adapted dance- connecting mind, body and soul
    (2014-01-29) Swinford, Rachel R.; Ellett, Marsha L.; Sloan, Rebecca S.; Crabtree, Jeffrey L.; Horton-Deutsch, Sara L.; Stanton-Nichols, Kathleen A.
    Using Heideggerian interpretive phenomenology, this study illuminates the lived experience of an adapted dance program for individuals with Down syndrome and their family members. The overall pattern from both dancers and family members was adapted dance: connecting mind, body and soul. The primary theme from dancer interpretations was expressing a mosaic of positive experiences, and the primary theme from family member interpretations was experiencing pride in their loved ones. The dance program provided dancers an opportunity to express their authentic self while experiencing moments of full embodiment in the connection of their mind, body and soul. While dancers experienced the connection of mind-body-soul, family members recognized the importance of this connection in their loved one. This research is instrumental in advocating for opportunities for individuals with Down syndrome to experience dance as a social, physical and intellectual activity that results in learning and increasing social interactions. The research findings from this study can support future initiatives for dance programs that may influence a population that has limited access to physical activity and dance. The study’s teaching strategies, dance activities, class procedures and sequences, and feedback techniques can be used by other professionals who teach individuals with intellectual disabilities.
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    EFFECTIVENESS OF AN AT-HOME BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS FOR FAMILIES WHO HAVE CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2012-04-13) Gutierrez, Alyssa; Stanton-Nichols, Kathleen A.
    This study was conducted to determine whether an at-home based activity intervention for families who have a child with an intellectual disability was an effective mean to increase motor skill ability and activity adherence. Purpose: Specifically, investigators were interested in 1) determining whether weekly home-based visits improves motor skills (intervention group) more than those whose families received only weekly phone calls (attention group) and 2) determining factors that affected a family’s adherence to the program. Physical activity literature involving children with intellectual disabilities suggests that behavior management, directed activity programming, and family intervention enhance adherence as well as sustainability of a new program. The authors anticipated that the intervention group would have greater adherence to an exercise program and exhibit improved scores on the gross motor quotient (GMQ), which is a numeric representation of the participant’s overall score on the assessment. Methods: The study was conducted with 16 families, eight in the intervention group and eight in attention group. Measures of efficacy include activity adherence (self-report) and pre/post motor skill performance on an assessment examining motor skills. Results: An independent t-test was conducted comparing scores from the pre- to the post- assessments between the attention and intervention groups. There were no significant differences between the scores for the attention group (M=11.25 SD=9.177) and the intervention group M=20.25, SD=21.737; t (14) =-1.079, p=.3 (two-tailed). However, the magnitude of the differences in the means (mean difference=-9.0, 95% Cl: 26.892 to 8.892) showed that there was a moderate effect. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that there were no statistical significances between the improvements in the scores between both groups. However, although not statistically significant the intervention did have a moderate effect on the groups. The investigators were encouraged by the moderate effect of the intervention.
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    The influence of assistance in home-based exercise programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities
    (2017-03-08) Noerr, Kyra L.; Stanton-Nichols, Kathleen A.; Bahamonde, Rafael; Munk, Niki; Streepey, Jake; Swinford, Rachel
    Intellectual disability (ID) is considered a high-incidence disability affecting approximately 1.2 million adults in America (Brault, 2012). Diagnosed before the age of 18, ID is characterized by poor intellectual functioning, difficulty with adaptive behaviors, and problems with activities of daily living. Adaptive behaviors include practical, social and conceptual skills. Individuals with ID may lack the ability to personally care for themselves, self-direct and display naïve decision-making capabilities. Activities of daily living, such as maintaining one’s health, are influenced by poor adaptive behaviors. Between the years of 1997 and 2008, the prevalence of developmental disabilities, including ID, has increased 2.2% and while there is research dedicated to determining the risk factors causing ID, there is a continued need to research adaptive behavior management (Boyle et al., 2011). Current research in adaptive behavior focuses on determining best practices in order to help adults with ID thrive in schools, the workplace, home, and in the community. Adaptive behaviors related to healthcare, self-direction, and personal care still continue to be an area of adversity for the population and research on prevalence of healthcare-related problems are growing (Ervin & Merrick, 2014). Health concerns increase with the severity of the ID as well as age (Moss et al., 1993; Schrojenstein et al., 1997). Over 40% of adults with ID will develop four or more chronic diseases with an increase in age (Hsieh, Rimmer, & Heller, 2012). In the typical population, there is a plethora of evidence demonstrating that regular physical activity (PA) reduces the risk for chronic diseases, specifically all-cause mortality, colon and breast cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression (American College of Sports Medicine, 2013). However, the number of adults with ID participating in regular PA is considerably lower than the typical population. This lack of participation increases individual risk for secondary health conditions. With diminished capabilities in adaptive behaviors, there are significant issues that affect this population’s ability for self-care and independence in health-related care. Additionally, there are limited opportunities for individuals to take steps to improve his or her ability for self-care. Improving the availability of quality instruction for PA and adherence may increase overall PA and reduce incidence and prevalence of chronic disease in adults with ID.