Effects of a plyometric training program for 3 children with neurofibromatosis type 1.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of plyometric training and to determine the effects on motor proficiency. CASE DESCRIPTION: Three children with neurofibromatosis type 1, aged 5, 7, and 10 years, selected for representative ages, sexes, abilities, and outcomes participated in a 10-week plyometric training program. Outcome measures included throwing and jumping distance, performance on a self-selected goal, the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition, and the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment. OUTCOMES: All participants safely completed the program. Improvements were seen in distance and consistency of throwing and jumping, performance on the self-selected goal, and bilateral coordination composite scores. Increased diversity, but not intensity of physical activity, was observed. DISCUSSION: A safe plyometric training program was implemented, resulting in gains in motor performance. It may be important to address personal and environmental barriers to physical activity participation to improve intensity of physical activity.

A systematic review: plyometric training programs for young children.

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of plyometric training for improving motor performance in young children; to determine if this type of training could be used to improve the strength, running speed, agility, and jumping ability of children with low motor competence; and to examine the extent and quality of the current research literature. Primary research articles were selected if they (a) described the outcomes of a plyometric exercise intervention; (b) included measures of strength, balance, running speed, jumping ability, or agility; (c) included prepubertal children 5-14 years of age; and (d) used a randomized control trial or quasiexperimental design. Seven articles met the inclusion criteria for the final review. The 7 studies were judged to be of low quality (values of 4-6). Plyometric training had a large effect on improving the ability to run and jump. Preliminary evidence suggests plyometric training also had a large effect on increasing kicking distance, balance, and agility. The current evidence suggests that a twice a week program for 8-10 weeks beginning at 50-60 jumps a session and increasing exercise load weekly results in the largest changes in running and jumping performance. An alternative program for children who do not have the capability or tolerance for a twice a week program would be a low-intensity program for a longer duration. The research suggests that plyometric training is safe for children when parents provide consent, children agree to participate, and safety guidelines are built into the intervention.

The effects of video modeling on staff implementation of a problem-solving intervention with adults with developmental disabilities.

We investigated the effects of video modeling on the percentage of correctly implemented problem-solving steps by staff in a group home for adults with developmental disabilities, using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants. The treatment consisted of staff watching a video model demonstrating the correct implementation of a problem-solving intervention (i.e., teaching clients to identify problems, possible solutions, and consequences to each solution, and to choose the best solution). The percentage of correctly implemented problem-solving steps increased for all participants, and the effect was maintained over time, generalized to novel problems, and generalized from role play with a researcher to actual clients.