Project Mentor
Dr. Sudha Srinivasan
Department: Kinesiology
Research Project Overview:
Forty percent of children with Cerebral Palsy have hemiplegia, characterized by impaired movement skills and muscle strength on one side of their body, leading to significant limitations in daily function and participation. This project proposes an innovative, child- and family-friendly, community-based training program using modified, commercially-available, joystick-operated ride-on-toys to promote self-initiated use and movement skills in the affected upper extremity in young children with hemiplegia between 3 and 8 years. Study findings have implications for the adoption of age-appropriate, highly enjoyable, and easy-to-operate modified toys by families as an adjunct to conventional therapy to increase children’s functional use of their affected arm through goal-directed navigation through naturalistic environments.
Role of a SHARE Summer Apprentice:
I am looking to work 2 students on our above-mentioned NIH funded study. One of the students will be trained to observe videos of children and assess changes in motor skills and affected arm use following a 6-week play-based intervention protocol. Specifically, the student will compare children’s performance on a standardized test before and after the training program.
The 2nd student will be involved in assessing the fidelity of implementation of training procedures. The study will involve interventions being delivered by different providers or interventionists. However, all staff will be asked to follow a training manual to ensure that the key ingredients of the interventions are received by all participating children.
The SHARE apprentice will be trained to assess if the intervention was provided per the developed manuals and the fidelity of implementation of training protocols
Summer Schedule/Time Commitment:
Our work is flexible in terms of days and times that the student will be able to work. We will set up a time for weekly meetings at the start of the summer per student and faculty mutual convenience so that the student can plan their schedule and other work-related responsibilities accordingly; however, we are flexible in adjusting meeting times in case of any unforeseen circumstances. We anticipate that students will need to put in more time during the start of the summer since they will be learning new skills; as they get more comfortable, the time they need to put in to complete assigned goals on a weekly basis will decrease. The project the students will work on is ongoing, so work can begin immediately at the start of the summer.
Preferred Qualifications:
We are looking for passionate, energetic, and empathetic undergraduate students interested in working on projects involving infants, children, and adults with disabilities. Students are required to complete CITI training given that our research is with human subjects (details will be provided by the study PI). Students from diverse backgrounds including but not limited to psychology, exercise science, communication sciences, allied health, and education are encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
The application opens on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Click here to submit an online application for this research apprenticeship through the Quest Portal. The application deadline is Friday, March 28, 2025, at 11:59pm.
Click here to view an outline of the general application questions. In addition, applicants will be asked the following question:
- Please discuss 2-3 of your key strengths and 2-3 areas of weaknesses pertaining to the type of work outlined in the application. (750 words max)
Please note:
All students hired for a SHARE Summer apprenticeship must complete a federal I-9 form and present original documents in person to OUR staff as part of the hiring process. Visit this U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services page for more information about acceptable documents. You cannot begin working until this is complete. Students are encouraged to plan ahead for this. For example, if you are going home for spring break, consider bringing original documents back to campus with you.