PubMed Health⌕ Search

PubMed · 14717581

Assisted workouts: starting my own workout program.

Abstract

As an undergraduate student with cerebral palsy, I found it difficult to achieve my goal of starting a regular exercise program at my school, the University of Central Florida. However, when I started a program called Assisted Workouts in spring 2003. the struggle proved to be well worth it. The program is not only beneficial to me, but it has also opened the door for other students who, because of disability or injury, need assistance in using gym equipment.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Douglas Cousminer. Assisted workouts: starting my own workout program.. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448480309595724

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

Potential contributions to disability theorizing and research from positive pyschology.

PURPOSE: Within the context of taking the perspectives of disabled individuals themselves more seriously, it is imperative that researchers and practitioners accord due primacy to the experiential worlds and everyday lived experiences of individuals with disabilities. Based on the premise that theoretical groundedness (along with methodological rigour) is integral to sound research, it is argued that the existing body of knowledge regarding the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities may be complemented by a conceptual placing of understandings of disability in relation to a prominent theoretical pathway at the moment, namely, the interdisciplinary emphasis on human strengths and wellness. METHOD: A critical engagement with key conceptualizations of disability entailed a focus on the development, strengths, and challenges of medical, social and psychologically based conceptualizations of disability. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The existing body of knowledge around disability may be extended and complemented by key concepts regarding human health/wellness from the field of Positive Psychology. Positive Psychology's keynote contribution to the study of disability and rehabilitation entails directing researchers and practitioners to the aim of building, reinforcing and extending disabled individuals' strengths and capacities in order to optimize their functioning in all areas of life, and thereby promote wellness.

Cerebral Palsy↗

General movement assessment: predicting cerebral palsy in clinical practise.

OBJECTIVE: The general movement assessment (GMA) method is used to predict cerebral palsy (CP) in infants with high risk of developing neurological dysfunctions. Most of the work on GMA has been performed from the same group of researchers. The aim of this study was to demonstrate to what extent GMA predicted CP in our hands. METHOD: A prospective study was performed using the Prechtl classification system for GMA in the fidgety period to predict later cerebral palsy. The study population consisted of 74 term and preterm infants at low and high risk of developing neurological dysfunction. The absence or presence of CP was reported at 23 months median-corrected age by the child's physician and the parents. RESULTS: The GMA identified all 10 infants that later were classified as having CP. GMA also identified all the infants that did not develop CP except for one infant with abnormal GMA and no CP. Three infants had uncertain CP status at follow-up. The sensitivity of GMA with regard to later CP was 100% with 95% CI (0.73, 1.00) and the specificity was 98% with 95% CI (0.91, 0.99) when the three uncertain cases were excluded. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that the GMA used in a clinical setting strongly predicts the development of CP. The work supports the results of previous studies and contributes to the validation of GMA. The qualitative nature of this method may be a problem for inexperienced observers. Larger clinical studies are needed.

Cerebral Palsy↗

Who best to make the assessment? Professionals' and families' classifications of gross motor function in cerebral palsy are highly consistent.

AIM: To determine the reliability of family assessment for the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) for children with cerebral palsy in the UK. METHODS: Families of a complete geographically defined population of children with cerebral palsy between 6 and 12 years old were identified from the 4Child epidemiological database. Postal surveys were conducted with the families and any of the child's health professionals that were nominated by the families. RESULTS: Families of 129/314 eligible children took part in the study (41%). The indices of agreement and reliability between families and professionals were also equivalent to those observed between the professionals (kappa = 0.5, ICC > or = 0.9). Reliability coefficients were higher when more of the professionals classified children using direct observation rather than only reviewing their clinical records. CONCLUSIONS: Despite excellent reliability, families and professionals did not always agree exactly on a child's GMFCS level. Classifications may differ due to children's varying performance in different environments, in which case families will almost certainly know their children's ability in a broader range of settings. The indices of reliability of family assessment for the GMFCS meet the recommended criteria for use with individuals and groups, indicating that the method is suitable for use in research studies and clinical practice.

Cerebral Palsy↗