We are recruiting youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability between 13 and 26 years of age as well as their caregivers and care-providers (teachers/special educators, paraprofessionals, and therapists) to participate in a study that will examine perspectives on physical activity in youth with developmental disabilities/special health care needs between 13 and 26 years of age. The research study will involve participation in a single focus group discussion session that will last for 1.5-2 hours. The focus group session will be conducted virtually using videoconferencing platform, Webex. The sessions will be video-recorded, but only the audio from the recording will be retained for research purposes and further analysis The focus group session will involve discussions about topics related to physical activity in youth with developmental disabilities/special health care needs including perceptions towards physical activity, factors influencing physical activity engagement in youth, impact of COVID-19 on physical activity levels, and suggestions/recommendations to improve physical activity levels in youth with developmental disabilities. Each focus group will involve 5-12 participants. Separate focus group discussions will be conducted with youth with disabilities/special health care needs, for their caregivers, for teachers/special educators/paraprofessionals, and for therapists working with youth with developmental disabilities. In the week after the focus group session, participants will also be asked to fill out a short survey form to obtain information on physical activity levels of individuals with developmental disabilities/special health care needs and currently available physical activity opportunities/programs for them. Insights obtained from this study will help inform future intervention studies that are aimed at improving physical activity participation in youth with disabilities/special health care needs.
Participants will receive $30 for study participation.
For more information about the study, please contact
Dr. Sudha Srinivasan,
Physical Therapy Program, Department of Kinesiology,
University of Connecticut
860-617-0533 or sudha.srinivasan@uconn.edu
For more information, contact: sudha.srinivasan at uconn.edu