There is a paucity of research on the impact of caregiving on the quality of life of unpaid careg... more There is a paucity of research on the impact of caregiving on the quality of life of unpaid caregivers for older adults aged 60 years or older with visual impairments (VI). The purpose of this study is to test multimodal interventions to improve quality of life and well-being in unpaid caregivers of older adults with VI. The objectives were: (1) to implement multimodal interventions targeted towards improving the quality of life of family caregivers of older adults with a VI; (2) to evaluate the efficacy/effectiveness of the interventions in improving the quality of life of older adults with a VI. The outcomes of interest include: quality of life, health, stress, burden, problem-solving, and barriers. For this study, a 10-week virtual intervention was implemented with 12 caregivers and eight older adults with visual impairments, for a total of 20 participants. The intervention was held for one hour for 10 consecutive weeks and included activities such as tai chi, yoga, meditation, m...
As most physical education teacher education programs provide little preparatory coursework on di... more As most physical education teacher education programs provide little preparatory coursework on disabilities, it is unsurprising preservice physical educators often struggle to effectively include s...
Bullying is prevalent in youth but occurs at a higher rate of incidence in children with visual i... more Bullying is prevalent in youth but occurs at a higher rate of incidence in children with visual impairments in comparison to children without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of literature from the past 20 years on bullying research in physical education of youth with visual impairments. This review examined studies on bullying in physical education for school-age children with visual impairments. Articles that did not include children with visual impairments or blindness, physical education, or any type of intentional bullying were eliminated. After a thorough screening of the articles obtained in the search, 14 were selected and analyzed thematically. Results revealed that of the 114 participants in these studies, 86% experienced social–relational bullying, 64% experienced verbal bullying, and 21% experienced physical bullying. Children with visual impairments were bullied in physical education class by their teachers (50%), paraeducators ...
For almost one hundred years, educators have used model deliberative bodies (e.g., Model United N... more For almost one hundred years, educators have used model deliberative bodies (e.g., Model United Nations) as a pedagogical tool to teach students about the complexities of diplomatic negotiations. We argue that this type of classroom simulation activity may also serve to illustrate specific historical realities and, more broadly, provide a model of student-centered instruction focused on investigation and decisionmaking. Employed in social studies classrooms, this tool has the potential to foster historical thinking and empathy by calling on students to engage in the act of deliberation as experienced by contemporary actors of a particular negotiating body. The lesson activity we outline in this article charges students to wrestle with the multiplicity of complex dilemmas and conflicting claims that characterized the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Assuming the role of actual delegates, students not only discuss pertinent issues but also deliberate. That is to say, just like the represe...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Overcoming participation barriers of students with disabilities in physical education is of great... more Overcoming participation barriers of students with disabilities in physical education is of great importance and an internationally recognized goal. Research highlights that students with disabilities have mixed feelings about their inclusion experiences in physical education. Physical education teachers often do not feel prepared to appropriately support all students. In German-speaking countries in particular, there is a strong tradition of segregation, with varying interpretations of inclusion. In this light, an instrument to reliably assess the inclusive potential of physical education is needed, thereby providing data on the efficacy of teachers’ practices. Such an assessment scale would be important to identify barriers to inclusive physical education while providing teachers with data that could potentially enhance the learning environment. The purpose of this study was to outline initial insights into the cross-cultural translation process of the Lieberman/Brian Inclusion Ra...
Research, Advocacy, and Practice for Complex and Chronic Conditions
This study examined the effect of a home-based six-week motor skill intervention for children wit... more This study examined the effect of a home-based six-week motor skill intervention for children with CHARGE syndrome. Six families with children with CHARGE syndrome participated in this study. The children were assessed on their motor skills with the Test of Gross Motor Development 3 prior to the intervention and then again on the four most practiced motor skills after the intervention. Parents were also given a parental perceptions questionnaire before and post intervention. The families were provided a Gross Motor Development Curriculum, videos, tip sheets, and equipment to support the intervention. Families maintained weekly logs of their specific training practices. Each family was interviewed, and the transcripts were analyzed for themes. The four themes that emerged were Personal goals, Improvement, Barriers, and Overcoming challenges. Results revealed that it is feasible to utilize this protocol to improve motor skills for children with CHARGE syndrome.
The authors thank the American Printing House for the Blind and Tristan Pierce for their support ... more The authors thank the American Printing House for the Blind and Tristan Pierce for their support for this research project. In the past 30 years, the percentage of children who are overweight has more than tripled, partly because of the prevalence of decreasing levels of physical activity (Pangrazi, 2004). Unfortunately, children with disabilities generally have even lower levels of health-related fitness because of both physical and psychosocial constraints (Longmuir & Bar-Or, 2000). Research has consistently shown that individuals who participate in regular physical activity to improve health-related fitness have higher energy levels and lower their risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases. In addition, regular participation in physical activity has also been found to improve psychological health and to lessen depression and anxiety (Kilpatrick, Hebert, & Jacobsen, 2002). Abstract: This study sought to determine the effects of using a talki...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022
Research has shown that the practicum experience for professional preparation students in physica... more Research has shown that the practicum experience for professional preparation students in physical education teacher education programs related to teaching youth with disabilities can improve self-efficacy. It is not currently known if a virtual program can be effective for the professional preparation students or the participants. The objective of this study was to determine the experiences of the participants of a three-month virtual practicum program. In this phenomenological study, thirty youth with visual impairments and 1:1 professional preparation students (coaches) took part in a three-month virtual physical activity program. A total of 11 coaches took part in 2 focus groups, and 10 of the participants were interviewed about their experiences in this unique practicum. Findings in this three-month program revealed four themes: (1) friendship, (2) self-determination, (3) goal setting, and (4) barriers. The results of the qualitative inquiry indicate that a virtual practicum pr...
In the present study, the effects of a least-to-most prompting procedure in teaching basic tennis... more In the present study, the effects of a least-to-most prompting procedure in teaching basic tennis skills (i.e. tennis ball dribble, air dribble and dribble the lines drills) to children with autism were investigated. A single-subject multiple-probe design with probe conditions across behaviors was used. Participants were four male children with autism, aged 7-9 years. Data were collected over the course of 6 weeks, five times a week, an hour per session. Inter-observer reliability data of the study was determined as 93 % on probes and 100 % on teaching sessions for participant one, 96 % on probes and 100 % on teaching sessions for participant
Children with visual impairments (CWVI) are developmentally behind their sighted peers in motor s... more Children with visual impairments (CWVI) are developmentally behind their sighted peers in motor skills. Swimming is a sport that many CWVI enjoy and experience success, but unfortunately swimming is particularly complex to teachCWVI. The purpose of this study was to determine which instructional strategies CWVI prefer during swim instruction.Thirteen CWVI and fourteen coaches participated in qualitative focus group interviews on their preferences after a week of swim instruction. A thematic approach was utilized to ensure the analysis was undertaken in a theoretically and methodologically sound manner. The results showed that two key themes emergedfrom each category: physical guidance, tactile modeling, and teaching strategies. The first teaching strategy, physical guidance, included themes quicker learning process and passive movement. The second teaching strategy, tactile modeling, was comprised of the themes barriers and better instruction. Teaching strategies included the themes...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
Children with visual impairments (VI) tend to struggle with their fundamental motor skills (FMS),... more Children with visual impairments (VI) tend to struggle with their fundamental motor skills (FMS), and these difficulties often persist across the lifespan, requiring frequent assessment. The Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) shows robust psychometric properties for children with VI. The TGMD, which includes 13 skills, is time-consuming to administer and score, warranting the need to explore brief versions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of three, six-skill versions of the TGMD-3 with children with VI. Children (n = 302; Boys = 58%, Girls = 42%; Mage = 13.00, SD = 2.50 years) with VI (B1 = 27%, B2 = 20%, B3 = 38%, B4 = 15%) participated in this study. We examined three different models using confirmatory factor analyses on the relationships between the motor skills and latent traits across the models. Scores from all three brief versions had acceptable global fit. Although further research should be conducted, practitioners can ad...
There is a paucity of research on the impact of caregiving on the quality of life of unpaid careg... more There is a paucity of research on the impact of caregiving on the quality of life of unpaid caregivers for older adults aged 60 years or older with visual impairments (VI). The purpose of this study is to test multimodal interventions to improve quality of life and well-being in unpaid caregivers of older adults with VI. The objectives were: (1) to implement multimodal interventions targeted towards improving the quality of life of family caregivers of older adults with a VI; (2) to evaluate the efficacy/effectiveness of the interventions in improving the quality of life of older adults with a VI. The outcomes of interest include: quality of life, health, stress, burden, problem-solving, and barriers. For this study, a 10-week virtual intervention was implemented with 12 caregivers and eight older adults with visual impairments, for a total of 20 participants. The intervention was held for one hour for 10 consecutive weeks and included activities such as tai chi, yoga, meditation, m...
As most physical education teacher education programs provide little preparatory coursework on di... more As most physical education teacher education programs provide little preparatory coursework on disabilities, it is unsurprising preservice physical educators often struggle to effectively include s...
Bullying is prevalent in youth but occurs at a higher rate of incidence in children with visual i... more Bullying is prevalent in youth but occurs at a higher rate of incidence in children with visual impairments in comparison to children without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of literature from the past 20 years on bullying research in physical education of youth with visual impairments. This review examined studies on bullying in physical education for school-age children with visual impairments. Articles that did not include children with visual impairments or blindness, physical education, or any type of intentional bullying were eliminated. After a thorough screening of the articles obtained in the search, 14 were selected and analyzed thematically. Results revealed that of the 114 participants in these studies, 86% experienced social–relational bullying, 64% experienced verbal bullying, and 21% experienced physical bullying. Children with visual impairments were bullied in physical education class by their teachers (50%), paraeducators ...
For almost one hundred years, educators have used model deliberative bodies (e.g., Model United N... more For almost one hundred years, educators have used model deliberative bodies (e.g., Model United Nations) as a pedagogical tool to teach students about the complexities of diplomatic negotiations. We argue that this type of classroom simulation activity may also serve to illustrate specific historical realities and, more broadly, provide a model of student-centered instruction focused on investigation and decisionmaking. Employed in social studies classrooms, this tool has the potential to foster historical thinking and empathy by calling on students to engage in the act of deliberation as experienced by contemporary actors of a particular negotiating body. The lesson activity we outline in this article charges students to wrestle with the multiplicity of complex dilemmas and conflicting claims that characterized the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Assuming the role of actual delegates, students not only discuss pertinent issues but also deliberate. That is to say, just like the represe...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Overcoming participation barriers of students with disabilities in physical education is of great... more Overcoming participation barriers of students with disabilities in physical education is of great importance and an internationally recognized goal. Research highlights that students with disabilities have mixed feelings about their inclusion experiences in physical education. Physical education teachers often do not feel prepared to appropriately support all students. In German-speaking countries in particular, there is a strong tradition of segregation, with varying interpretations of inclusion. In this light, an instrument to reliably assess the inclusive potential of physical education is needed, thereby providing data on the efficacy of teachers’ practices. Such an assessment scale would be important to identify barriers to inclusive physical education while providing teachers with data that could potentially enhance the learning environment. The purpose of this study was to outline initial insights into the cross-cultural translation process of the Lieberman/Brian Inclusion Ra...
Research, Advocacy, and Practice for Complex and Chronic Conditions
This study examined the effect of a home-based six-week motor skill intervention for children wit... more This study examined the effect of a home-based six-week motor skill intervention for children with CHARGE syndrome. Six families with children with CHARGE syndrome participated in this study. The children were assessed on their motor skills with the Test of Gross Motor Development 3 prior to the intervention and then again on the four most practiced motor skills after the intervention. Parents were also given a parental perceptions questionnaire before and post intervention. The families were provided a Gross Motor Development Curriculum, videos, tip sheets, and equipment to support the intervention. Families maintained weekly logs of their specific training practices. Each family was interviewed, and the transcripts were analyzed for themes. The four themes that emerged were Personal goals, Improvement, Barriers, and Overcoming challenges. Results revealed that it is feasible to utilize this protocol to improve motor skills for children with CHARGE syndrome.
The authors thank the American Printing House for the Blind and Tristan Pierce for their support ... more The authors thank the American Printing House for the Blind and Tristan Pierce for their support for this research project. In the past 30 years, the percentage of children who are overweight has more than tripled, partly because of the prevalence of decreasing levels of physical activity (Pangrazi, 2004). Unfortunately, children with disabilities generally have even lower levels of health-related fitness because of both physical and psychosocial constraints (Longmuir & Bar-Or, 2000). Research has consistently shown that individuals who participate in regular physical activity to improve health-related fitness have higher energy levels and lower their risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases. In addition, regular participation in physical activity has also been found to improve psychological health and to lessen depression and anxiety (Kilpatrick, Hebert, & Jacobsen, 2002). Abstract: This study sought to determine the effects of using a talki...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022
Research has shown that the practicum experience for professional preparation students in physica... more Research has shown that the practicum experience for professional preparation students in physical education teacher education programs related to teaching youth with disabilities can improve self-efficacy. It is not currently known if a virtual program can be effective for the professional preparation students or the participants. The objective of this study was to determine the experiences of the participants of a three-month virtual practicum program. In this phenomenological study, thirty youth with visual impairments and 1:1 professional preparation students (coaches) took part in a three-month virtual physical activity program. A total of 11 coaches took part in 2 focus groups, and 10 of the participants were interviewed about their experiences in this unique practicum. Findings in this three-month program revealed four themes: (1) friendship, (2) self-determination, (3) goal setting, and (4) barriers. The results of the qualitative inquiry indicate that a virtual practicum pr...
In the present study, the effects of a least-to-most prompting procedure in teaching basic tennis... more In the present study, the effects of a least-to-most prompting procedure in teaching basic tennis skills (i.e. tennis ball dribble, air dribble and dribble the lines drills) to children with autism were investigated. A single-subject multiple-probe design with probe conditions across behaviors was used. Participants were four male children with autism, aged 7-9 years. Data were collected over the course of 6 weeks, five times a week, an hour per session. Inter-observer reliability data of the study was determined as 93 % on probes and 100 % on teaching sessions for participant one, 96 % on probes and 100 % on teaching sessions for participant
Children with visual impairments (CWVI) are developmentally behind their sighted peers in motor s... more Children with visual impairments (CWVI) are developmentally behind their sighted peers in motor skills. Swimming is a sport that many CWVI enjoy and experience success, but unfortunately swimming is particularly complex to teachCWVI. The purpose of this study was to determine which instructional strategies CWVI prefer during swim instruction.Thirteen CWVI and fourteen coaches participated in qualitative focus group interviews on their preferences after a week of swim instruction. A thematic approach was utilized to ensure the analysis was undertaken in a theoretically and methodologically sound manner. The results showed that two key themes emergedfrom each category: physical guidance, tactile modeling, and teaching strategies. The first teaching strategy, physical guidance, included themes quicker learning process and passive movement. The second teaching strategy, tactile modeling, was comprised of the themes barriers and better instruction. Teaching strategies included the themes...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
Children with visual impairments (VI) tend to struggle with their fundamental motor skills (FMS),... more Children with visual impairments (VI) tend to struggle with their fundamental motor skills (FMS), and these difficulties often persist across the lifespan, requiring frequent assessment. The Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) shows robust psychometric properties for children with VI. The TGMD, which includes 13 skills, is time-consuming to administer and score, warranting the need to explore brief versions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of three, six-skill versions of the TGMD-3 with children with VI. Children (n = 302; Boys = 58%, Girls = 42%; Mage = 13.00, SD = 2.50 years) with VI (B1 = 27%, B2 = 20%, B3 = 38%, B4 = 15%) participated in this study. We examined three different models using confirmatory factor analyses on the relationships between the motor skills and latent traits across the models. Scores from all three brief versions had acceptable global fit. Although further research should be conducted, practitioners can ad...
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Papers by Lauren Lieberman