Important Study on ASD and Exercise

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I have identical twin boys with apraxia,,,in travel ice hockey...

intersted, please email

_Joya111@..._ (mailto:Joya111@...)

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[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and wanted to introduce myself. I am a grad

student at the University of Toronto, Canada. I have a close family

member on the spectrum and because of this, I have been extremely

interested in ASD for many years now. I've done quite a bit of

research and had much hands on experience with children with ASD.

Throughout this time, I came to notice that many of the children I

worked with made great strides in developing important skills through

exercise and sports.

Now that I have been given the opportunity to conduct an official

study on the matter as part of my Master's degree, I am really

enthusiastic about the prospects!

I am currently looking for participants for my study on Autism and

Exercise Participation and am recruiting participants through online

discussion groups, such as this one. The study involves a one-time

phone interview that lasts about 1 hour. If anyone out there would be

willing to participate, it would be a very big help to me and your

information could really help advance the current research on ASD and

the benefits of Physical Activity programs. [You are eligible to

participate regardless of whether or not your child is physically

active- I am looking for both active and non active children with ASD].

Below, I am posting a copy of the official intro letter that goes with

the study so anyone interested could have a look at it. This is not an

official consent form, but if you email me that you are interested, I

will happily email you a copy of the informed consent.

Thanks in advance for your interest and best of luck to everyone.

Sincerely,

Atara Engel

MSc candidate

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

University of Toronto

Dear Parent or Guardian,

I am writing to invite you to participate in a study examining

exercise and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders [ASD]. This study

will try to identify and describe exercise activities that are

commonly chosen by children with autism and their parents, which

activities are enjoyed the most or are favourites of children with ASD

and their parents. I would also like to ask about areas of functioning

other than those that are exercise related because at the end of my

study, I would like to see whether children who generally participate

in more exercise will have better functioning overall.

In order to participate in this study, you must have a child between

the ages of 6 and 17 with any type of diagnosis which can be

classified as an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

If you agree to participate, this study would involve a one time phone

interview where I will ask you some open ended questions about your

child's exercise habits, social experiences, communication and other

skills. This interview is expected to take from 45 minutes to 1 hour

and would be conducted over the phone at a date and time convenient

for you. Your participation in this study is voluntary and should you

change your mind at any time, early withdrawal from the study is

always possible with no adverse consequences.

The results of this study can help inform future studies on exercise

and ASD and may also help parents of children with ASD to choose the

best exercise activities for their child at a later date.

If you have a child between the ages of 6 and 17 with a diagnosis on

the Autism Spectrum and are interested to participate in this study,

please reply to me via email at atara.engel@... with your name

and phone number. This will allow me to call you so that we can

discuss more information about the study, as well as your rights as a

study participant and answer any questions you may have. If you do

choose to participate in this study, I will send you an official

consent form for you to sign and return to me. If you have any

questions about participating in this study, please do not hesitate to

contact me at the email address listed above.

Thank you for considering your participation in this valuable research

opportunity.

Sincerely,

Atara Engel

MSc Candidate

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

University of Toronto