Developing Opportunities for Children with Neurodevelopment Disorders

I’m always excited to hear about new interventions that are being developed and studied and have had the privilege of working with professionals in different parts of the world who are committed to developing opportunities for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Recently, my overseas collaborator from Hong Kong - Dr. Andy Tse and I have received a prestigious grant in HK (General Research Fund) that supports examining the impact of cycling exercise on cognitive functions in children with autism. The objective of this study is to find out which type of exercise (jogging vs cycling) would be the best to improve cognitive functions (e.g. inhibition control, planning, flexibility and working memory) in children with autism. Meanwhile, Dr. Tse is currently conducting a research project examining the impact of physical exercise on sleep and melatonin production in children with autism. The preliminary data showed that participating in 30 minutes of moderate to high intensity morning physical exercise at a frequency of three times a week could improve melatonin production and sleep onset latency in children with autism. This finding has been getting a lot of press! See below to view some of the media coverage.

Andy obtained his BSc (Sports Science) and PhD (Speech Motor Learning) from the University of Hong Kong in 2008 and 2012 respectively. Andy then worked as a cadet pilot of Cathay Pacific Airways in 2013 and returned to academia as a post-docotoral fellow in the University of Hong Kong.