Children and Youth with Disabilities Lab

We focus on improving quality of life for children and youth with and without disabilities through physical activity.

Our vision is that every child is active and accepted.

Our mission is rooted in conducting the best research, teaching and outreach focused on youthful activity for all people. We aim to positively influence physical activity engagement and motor skill development for all children and through this work we aim to provide a gateway to positively influence other domains of development.

Currently recruiting for

The lab is currently looking for participants for:

Contact

203C Women’s Building
Corvallis, OR, 97331
541-737-3273

Research projects

“Do as I Do” Dog Training Research Project

Development and evaluation of a novel imitation-based dog assisted intervention, 'DAID training', to increase joint activity and social wellbeing for children/ adolescents with developmental disabilities.

Project details

Parent behaviors in PA settings

An inquiry into how parents of children with autism spectrum disorder interact with their children in a motor skill-based play setting.

Project details

News

March 27, 2024
Oregon State dog-training program helps increase physical activity among kids with disabilities
Children in the experimental group increased their moderate to vigorous physical activity by 17 minutes per day
Feb. 20, 2024
Study sheds light on links between cognitive and motor skill development in children with autism
College of Health researchers highlight the ways motor skills and cognitive skills develop in connection with each other in young children with autism.
Feb. 4, 2024
Do your kids want a dog? Science may be on their side
Kids who have dogs get significantly more physical activity, compared to kids who don't. Researchers followed 600 children over three years, and found young girls got the biggest exercise boost.
Feb. 2, 2024
Students with disabilities often left on the sidelines when it comes to school sports
Although disabled students are supposed to have equal access to school sports, questions remain about whether they participate at the same rate as their nondisabled peers.