Objective: Both aerobic exercise and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) improve depression, but perceptions of their credibility and efficacy are underexplored. These perceptions can contribute to treatment seeking and outcome. A previous online sample ranging in age and education rated a combined treatment higher than individual components and…

SHAPE America (2021) contends the use of physical activity used as punishment and/or behavior management as an inappropriate practice. The position statement acknowledges both the administration and withholding of physical activity as punishment, however, this paper focuses on the use of exercise as punishment (EAP) in physical education settings.…

The current pilot study tested the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a combined group cognitive behavioral therapy and exercise intervention (CBT+E), as compared to treatment as usual (TAU) for managing anxiety and mood symptoms in university students. Participants were 16 undergraduate students with at least mild anxiety, depression, or…

Physical exercise has shown the potential to reduce stereotypic behaviors. The current investigation conducted three meta-analyses on the effects of physical exercise on stereotypic behaviors in individuals with autism. Study 1 produced four aggregate score studies (n = 54) that included nine effect sizes ranging from d = -0.85 to 0.31. Study 1…

Antecedent exercise (AE) is an intervention used to promote moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and improve subsequent behavior in non-exercise contexts. We used withdrawal and multitreatment single case research designs to compare the effects of baseline, AE alone, and AE + visual supports condition. Two preschool-age boys participated in this…

It is well documented that exercise plays a critical role in maintaining physical health. More recently, a growing body of research has begun to focus on the mental benefits of exercise ranging from reducing depression to enhancing various cognitive abilities like memory and attention. These abilities are paramount for learning to occur, and thus,…

Get every young child ready to learn--and support their social-emotional development--with these 70 fun, quick, and effective activities! Teachers of early childhood through Grade 3 will love this unique combination of SEL, mindfulness, and brain-friendly physical activity that promotes growth, development, and behavior management. Designed to…

Psychosocial treatments like psychotherapy and group therapy are common for the treatment of depression in the general population. Depression in people with intellectual disability presents challenges, because people with intellectual disability often cannot consent to various treatments, clinicians and family members must be involved and use…

Considerable evidence has shown that physical exercise could be an effective treatment in reducing stereotypical autism spectrum disorder (ASD) behaviors in children. The present study seeks to examine the underlying mechanism by considering the theoretical operant nature of stereotypy. Children with ASD (n = 30) who exhibited hand-flapping and…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder in which individuals experience deficits in communication, restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, as well as social interaction and reciprocity (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). For adolescents with autism, anxiety often interferes with these symptoms making them…

Background: The aim of this study was to develop a mindful eating intervention and evaluate potential changes in selected outcomes. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping was used to guide the curriculum development and selection of evaluation measures. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and acceptability of…

Fear extinction-based exposure therapy is the most common behavioral therapy for anxiety and trauma-related disorders, but fear extinction memories are labile and fear tends to return even after successful extinction. The relapse of fear contributes to the poor long-term efficacy of exposure therapy. A single session of voluntary exercise can…

There is a growing body of evidence to support the benefits of physical activity on children's cognitions and behavior. Although children with ADHD are known to be at risk for deficits in cognitive processing, specifically executive functioning which controls the organization, regulation, and planning of behavior, little evidence exists about the…

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training (BST) on the skateboarding skills of an 11-year-old male with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). BST was used in a multiple-probe across skills design to teach five target skateboarding skills. Imitation of an additional skill was also assessed outside of BST sessions.…

Exercise usually refers to the physical activity in which one engages in order to achieve a healthier level of physical fitness. The integration of daily opportunities for physical activity for learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is important for improving their basic physical fitness. In addition to physical fitness, exercise also can be…