Improving Executive Function of Children with ASD through Cycling Skill Acquisition
[General Research Grant 2018/19, Research Grants Council (RGC), Hong Kong SAR]
Abstract:
Executive dysfunction has been widely reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Some studies have clearly documented the cognitive benefits of physical exercise on cognition in children.
The present research is titled ‘Improving executive function of children with ASD through cycling skill acquisition’. The purpose of the study is to compare the impact of cognitively engaging exercise and non-cognitively engaging exercise on executive function in children with ASD. 62 children diagnosed with ASD are invited to participate in the project. They are assigned into 3 groups: learning to ride a bicycle, stationary cycling and control. Four executive function components (planning, working memory, flexibility and inhibition) are assessed.
The results revealed that cognitively engaging exercise benefits executive function in children with ASD. The results revealed significant improvements in all executive function components in the learning to ride a bicycle group but not in the other two groups after controlling for age and IQ.
Abstract:
Executive dysfunction has been widely reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Some studies have clearly documented the cognitive benefits of physical exercise on cognition in children.
The present research is titled ‘Improving executive function of children with ASD through cycling skill acquisition’. The purpose of the study is to compare the impact of cognitively engaging exercise and non-cognitively engaging exercise on executive function in children with ASD. 62 children diagnosed with ASD are invited to participate in the project. They are assigned into 3 groups: learning to ride a bicycle, stationary cycling and control. Four executive function components (planning, working memory, flexibility and inhibition) are assessed.
The results revealed that cognitively engaging exercise benefits executive function in children with ASD. The results revealed significant improvements in all executive function components in the learning to ride a bicycle group but not in the other two groups after controlling for age and IQ.
Examining whether Visual Proprioception Mediates the Relation between Crawling Experience and Wariness of Heights
[FLASS Internationalization Support Fund 2019, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, EdUHK]
Abstract:
Many parents report that infants will readily venture over the edge of a bed without fear of heights when they start crawling. However, a dramatic change of this behaviour occurs after infants have accumulated a few weeks of crawling experience. One possible explanation of this developmental shift lies in a phenomenon known as visual proprioception, a sense of self-movement brought about by patterns of optic flow in the peripheral and central fields of view.
This research project is titled ‘Examining whether visual proprioception mediates the relation between crawling experience and wariness of heights. It is a collaborative research project with Prof. David Anderson from San Francisco State University and Prof. Joseph Campos from UC Berkeley and is supported by the Faculty’s International Support Fund. The aim of the project is to use visual cliff and visual proprioception (visual-postural coupling in a moving room) to determine the correlation of avoidance prediction for infants with varying amounts of crawling experience. This project is ongoing and is expected to complete in December, 2021.
Abstract:
Many parents report that infants will readily venture over the edge of a bed without fear of heights when they start crawling. However, a dramatic change of this behaviour occurs after infants have accumulated a few weeks of crawling experience. One possible explanation of this developmental shift lies in a phenomenon known as visual proprioception, a sense of self-movement brought about by patterns of optic flow in the peripheral and central fields of view.
This research project is titled ‘Examining whether visual proprioception mediates the relation between crawling experience and wariness of heights. It is a collaborative research project with Prof. David Anderson from San Francisco State University and Prof. Joseph Campos from UC Berkeley and is supported by the Faculty’s International Support Fund. The aim of the project is to use visual cliff and visual proprioception (visual-postural coupling in a moving room) to determine the correlation of avoidance prediction for infants with varying amounts of crawling experience. This project is ongoing and is expected to complete in December, 2021.
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