Professor has scale to monitor fatigue levels

Researchers will be able to gauge the intensity of exercise for the youngsters.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Children at the Rich Center for the Study of Autism at Youngstown State University are in better shape than ever, and they have Jennifer Pintar to thank.
Pintar, an associate professor of human performance and exercise science, and a group of YSU students are in the third year of developing an effective scale to measure the exercise limits of children who have autism. The scale has pictures the children can point to that depicts their fatigue level during exercise.
"The results of this study will provide exercise professionals with important information regarding the regulation of exercise intensity among children with autism," said Pintar, who received a $2,743 University Research Council Grant last year for the project.
"The scale, once validated, will be available to autistic centers around the world," she said.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that usually appears during the first three years of life and affects normal functions of the brain, impacting social interaction and communication skills. It is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the world.
"Children with autism are in need of quality exercise programs, which can positively impact their physical well-being as well as their behavior," Pintar said. "But since many children with autism lack developed verbal communication skills, it is very difficult for them to express how intense their exercise regimens are."
The picture scale the researchers are developing will help in that area because the children won't need to use verbal skills to explain their fatigue level. They can simply point to the picture, researchers said.
About the scale
Two years ago, Pintar and her students began looking for such alternatives. When the use of heart monitors failed, Pintar began developing a Ratings of Perceived Exertion scale designed specifically for children with autism.
The RPE scale is a validated, well-accepted and reliable method to measure the intensity of exercise. The scale measures how easy or difficult a certain activity is, based on a scale of six to 20. Six, for instance, would be how you feel when sitting in a chair. Twenty, on the other hand, would be how you feel at the end of an exercise stress test or after a very difficult activity.
Pintar said her former doctoral advisor, Dr. Robert Robertson at the University of Pittsburgh, spearheaded much work on RPE scales. As a doctoral student, Pintar assisted with the development of the OMNI scale, an RPE scale for neurotypical children.
But the OMNI scales are not effective for children with autism, Pintar said, so she and her YSU students developed a new scale for such children. During a break from exercising, each child's heart rate is measured and each child points to one of four pictures (not tired, a little tired, tired and very tired) on a card to show their level of exertion.
"Once validated, this new scale could replace the need for expensive and intricate equipment necessary to determine exercise intensity among children with autism," she said.
Pintar is being assisted in her study by YSU exercise science majors Michelle Brunner, Deanna Deardurff, Shawn Aker, Alyssa Goist and Lisa Hutch. The study will conclude in May 2006.