No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

D.Ed / Please refer to full text to view abst

Thesis (PhD (Sport Science))—University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Sport performance management has emerged as a specialization in sport science that is focused on providing the athlete and coach with optimal information about training programmes and the support services needed in order to pursue excellence. As a more professional approach to disability sport has grown with the international status of the Paralympics, sport performance management dealing specifically with athletes with disabilities requires development. The purpose of this study was to focus on documenting the delivery of sport science support for three cyclists with cerebral palsy training for the Athens Paralympics. A case study approach was taken in this research that provided sport science support to three cyclists. Documentation of the training experience of each cyclist over 18 months of training leading up to the Games, was accomplished by quantification of daily training as well as periodic laboratory testing. A comprehensive picture was drawn of training intensities, modalities and frequencies for each cyclist during each macro-cycle, with special attention to the following three variables. Power output and lactate Power output and VO2 max Peak and mean sprint power output (Wingate test) Two of the three cyclists perceived the support they received to have been critical to the success of their preparation. The investigator concluded that sport management has an important role to play in the development of disability sport at the elite level, and that a lot more hard training is possible for cyclists with cerebral palsy, than some coaches may have previously believed, especially in terms of intensity and duration.

published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Paediatric Dentistry / Master / Master of Dental Surgery

Call number: LD2668 .P7 1973 J65

Unilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy (USCP) is caused by an early brain lesion in which the Corticospinal Tract (CST), the primary pathway controlling upper extremity (UE) movements, is affected. The CST connectivity after early brain injury (i.e., an ipsilateral, contralateral, or bilateral connectivity) may influence treatment outcomes. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a common method to probe CST connectivity. However, TMS is limited to children without seizures. Mirror movements (MM), an involuntary imitation of movements by one limb during the contralateral limb voluntary movements, are common in USCP. MM may result when both UEs are controlled by the contralesional motor cortex. Here we investigated the relationship between MM and CST connectivity in children with USCP. We hypothesized that stronger MM were associated with an ipsilateral connectivity. Our secondary aim was to investigate whether the amount of MM was reduced after intensive therapy. Thirty-three children with USCP (mean age=9yrs 6mos; MACS: I-III) participated and were randomized to receive 90hrs of unimanual (n=16) or bimanual (n=17) intensive training. Assessments were measured at baseline and immediately after training. We used TMS and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to determine the CST connectivity. We used three approaches to quantify MM: 1) behavioral MM assessment during contralateral movements, including hand opening/closing, finger opposition, finger individuation, and finger walking, 2) involuntary grip force oscillations recorded by force transducer (FT) when the contralateral hand performed repetitive pinching, and 3) involuntary muscle contractions measured by electromyography (EMG) when the contralateral hand performed pinching. Results showed that strong MM (scores ≥3) in the more-affected hand while hand opening/closing were associated with an ipsilateral pathway (Fisher's exact test, p= 0.02). This association was not found in the remaining tasks (Fisher’s exact test, opposition, p≥ 0.99; individuation, p≥ 0.99; finger walking, p≥ 0.99). Involuntary GF oscillations were measured in a subset of 16 children. Presence of FT-measured MM in the less-affected hand (> 0.3N) was not associated with TMS-probed connectivity (Fisher’s exact test, p= 0.59). Nevertheless, presence of FT-measured MM was associated with DTI-assessed connectivity (Fisher’s exact test, p= 0.0498). Similarly, presence of EMG-measured MM in the more-affected hand was not associated with TMS-probed connectivity (Fisher’s exact test, p= 0.59). Nevertheless, presence of EMG-measured MM was associated with DTI-assessed connectivity (Fisher’s exact test, p= 0.03). The amount of MM did not change after training (p> 0.06 among all measures). In conclusion, strong MM in the more-affected hand while hand opening/closing may be indicative of an ipsilateral connectivity identified by TMS. Presence of MM measured by FT may be a predictor of DTI-assessed CST pattern. Findings of this study may help researchers and clinicians understand the relationship between the CST connectivity and its behavioral manifestation in children with USCP. Such relationship may further guide therapeutic strategies in a wider range of children with USCP.