Applied Motor Development Laboratory

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Applied Motor Development Lab

Location:  Rooms W0202 and 250 Forker

Description

This lab is comprised of two sections:

• The Applied Motor Development Lab (W202 Forker) is a large gymnasium (3,891 square feet) that is used for research and instruction. The lab has an additional 285 square foot research facility with one-way glass overlooking the gym area. The gym includes a rock climbing wall and other permanent equipment necessary for a best practice elementary physical education program.
• The Adapted Physical Activity and Motor Behavior Lab (250 Forker) is a 166 square foot research facility that includes equipment for research assistants and/or prospective teachers to code and analyze child movement or teaching videos, as well as conduct laboratory studies and data collection in a private setting.

Major pieces of equipment include:

• InBody 270  and Tanita SC-331S body composition analyzers
• Stadiometers, electronic body weight scales, and skinfold calipers.
• Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) portable balance plate and software
• Actigraph, FitBit, Sensewear armband, Polar heart rate, and MovBand activity monitors and accelerometers
• Canon Vixia HF R800 portable camcorder
• Digital video editing software
• Pediatric Recumbent Cycles
• Developmental motor and cognitive assessments including the Test of Gross Motor Development, 3^rd edition (TGMD-3), Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2^nd edition (mABC-2), D-2 test of attention, Flanker, Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch)
• Four touch screen laptops for field-based and laboratory research studies.

Undergraduate students can participate as research assistants in most research projects.

Research

Motor development and physical activity in children with developmental disabilities

Dr. Pitchford’s research focuses on preventing health disparities in children with developmental disabilities including Down syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Current research in this area involves examining the interrelationships between abilities in balance, movement competence, physical activity, and obesity among elementary-school age children.