LSU research professor Dr. Nicholas Fears received a $50,000 grant to adapt an app to help autistic preschoolers develop motor skills. The app will teach six different motor skills over 12 weeks using space-themed games.

The grant is sponsored by the Healthy Weight Research Network, which will aid LSU’s research team to adapt Mission Play, originally developed by Dr. Amanda Staiano at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

“Right now we’re working with families and showing them the app and what it looks like and asking them what would make it easier for their kid to participate,” Fears said.

The goal of the app’s new functions is to equip autistic preschoolers with the foundational skills they need to participate in sports and other activities successfully. The team hopes to begin building the skills at such an impressionable age to better stick with them.

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Growing up, Fears cared for a cousin with down syndrome and a late-stage autism diagnosis. He brought together his affinity for research and helping children with physical or developmental disabilities to create this “passion project.”

“I kept meeting with families that I was volunteering with in the community who were asking me how I could potentially apply my research to autism,” Fears said.

According to their research, the LSU team found that 60-80% of autistic children have clinically significant motor difficulties. Staiano’s app provided the strong foundation of motor skills training to allow the LSU research team to take it one step farther.

“Parents are really excited, and one of the reasons is that a lot of these kids are preparing for kindergarten, and they’re either having to do interviews at schools or meet these certain milestones,” Staiano said.

Staiano explained that without proper motor skill development, many autistic children will fall more behind in social settings where playing sports or learning art is a constant struggle. It affects their confidence in a huge way, Staiano said.

Also, kids who are not able to control their bodily movements or coordinate themselves in the classroom fall drastically behind in the academic sector.

“We’ve seen that programs that do motor skill development and physical activity can help improve academic performance and classroom behavior,” Staiano said.

Mahda Shabani is a Ph.D. student working with Dr. Fears in this research lab. With a background in occupational therapy, Shabani is no stranger to helping those with physical or developmental disabilities learn life skills. She interviews the families of autistic children to determine what needs they have and what LSU can do to help.

“I enjoy seeing how much the parents love the app and that it will help the kids be confident and support their motor development throughout their life,” Shabani said.

The long term goal for the research team is to continue to support or adapt environments to help autistic individuals live the lives they want to live.

Starting next year, the team will conduct randomized clinical trials with additional funding they received from the Department of Defense.

“I think it’s really important for us as LSU and leaders in Louisiana to think about how we can support people with disabilities and continue to include them in our community,” Fears said.