When the magnitude of the disruption that the COVID-19 pandemic would bring to nearly all aspects of life started to become clear back in mid-March, UW–Madison’s Luis Columna admits to having doubts about the immediate future of his Fit Families program.
Columna had worked hard to get the initiative for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families up and running in Madison within a year of arriving on campus in January 2019. By early 2020, this theory-based, physical activity program was regularly hosting children with ASD and their families at the UW Natatorium, and at Madison’s Lapham Elementary and West High School.
But before March was over, growing concerns over the coronavirus forced the university to shut down all but essential corners of campus and the governor issued a “safer at home” order. In a flash, the Fit Families program as an in-person operation was untenable.
“There was a moment where we were nervous and afraid — and even considered the possibility of canceling the program,” says Columna, who joined the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology as an associate professor after spending the previous eight years as a faculty member at Syracuse University.
Such a move, however, would be especially harmful to the very families the program is designed to support. While school closures are difficult for many, children with ASD were disproportionately affected by this situation, notes Columna. He realized that parents — many lacking the time (due to work obligations), space, or teaching skills (particularly physical education skills) — were suddenly responsible for both engaging their children in educational learning and finding ways to keep kids active.
“So one morning I woke up and said, ‘You know what, we can do this!’ ” says Columna.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2020, and Columna has not only kept the program up and successfully serving 30 households via online platforms, but the unforeseen circumstances have pressed the team to advance Fit Families in some unexpected ways.
“We were planning on moving to an online platform two years from now, but COVID-19 pushed us to do this sooner,” says Columna, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. “It’s our goal to bring the Fit Families program to more people — and with the new infrastructure that we are creating, that is going to allow us to expand these research-based services.”
Fit Families is a physical activity program that brings together children with disabilities, their parents, college students, and in-service professionals in the fields of adapted physical education, special education, orientation and mobility, psychology, physical education, and exercise science, among others. It’s unique in that it not only helps children with ASD learn about the importance of physical activity, but it instructs parents how to become coaches in teaching fundamental motor skills that don’t develop naturally in children — such as throwing, catching, and kicking.
An estimated 1 in 54 school-aged children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And research shows that children with ASD often have poorer health outcomes, participate in fewer recreational and physical activities, and have delayed fundamental motor skills compared to their peers without ASD.
These factors can negatively impact the overall physical health, psychological well-being, and quality of life for children with ASD and their families.
Columna originally launched Fit Families while working at Syracuse University from 2011 to 2018. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program’s more traditional, in-person workshops provided direct instruction and structured content during a systematic, parent-mediated, 12-week intervention. Through a series of four workshops, parents serve as the “coach” and learn how to teach specific fundamental motor skills to their children ages 4-12.
Four topics are covered throughout each of the interventions: sensory integration, communication, aquatics, and physical activity and sports. As part of each intervention, families were traditionally provided with adapted equipment and an activity workbook to take home to encourage ongoing use in their home and community settings. Each booklet was embedded with Quick Response (QR) codes that provided direct video skills demonstrations to help parents more easily coach their children.
With the changing landscape brought on by COVID-19, Columna and this team transitioned to utilizing Webex to deliver online video workshops, while collecting thoughts from parents via the Qualtrics survey platform. The Fit Families team is also communicating with participants via phone calls, text messages, and closed Facebook groups, where parents can also exchange information with each other.
Columna says the School of Education provided additional support to his program during the pandemic by covering fees related to the mailing of equipment and other materials that families traditionally received during in-person meetings.
“The children and our UW–Madison students involved in delivering the Fit Families program definitely miss the opportunity to interact face-to-face,” says Columna. “But overall, the content has stayed the same, and I think things are going extremely well.”
As one parent posted to a Fit Families Facebook group page: “My son has been working hard without knowing it. The activities, the education, and the equipment have helped my son tremendously. This program provides communication opportunities for my son. … I’m finding that my son with autism will follow commands with the proper supports. Practicing these activities daily while using the equipment has made me realize that my son can accomplish goals. … As I have stated before, the Fit Families program has been life-changing!!!”
Columna says one key aspect of what makes Fit Families so successful is the talented and dedicated group of cross-disciplinary collaborators he partners with, including: Cindy Kuhrasch, a distinguished faculty associate with the Department of Kinesiology and coordinator of the Physical Education Teacher Education program; Kristen Pickett and Karla Ausderau, faculty members with the Occupational Therapy program; Jennifer Asmus and Kristy Kelly of the Department of Educational Psychology; Zhe (Gigi) An, a special education faculty member; Jonanne Hayes-Manogue, a lecturer with the Department of Kinesiology; Lorenzo Contreras, a lab manager with the Department of Kinesiology; and Jeannine Nicolai-Heckmann, a grants manager and financial specialist with the Department of Kinesiology.
The Fit Families program also presents one-of-a-kind learning and research opportunities for a range of undergraduate and graduate students. There are five graduate students and about 50 undergraduates who are part of the Fit Families team — with about 20 of those students also helping out in Columna’s research lab, led by doctoral candidates Laura Prieto, Heather Katz, and Benazir Meera. The young scholars do everything from play and interact with the children, to organize equipment, interact with families, assist with data collection, and examine new and innovative ways to deliver the program.
Despite a certain level of chaos created by COVID-19 over the past several months, Columna says he is excited about the future of the program, and is in the process of submitting several grants to test its effectiveness and expand its online delivery.
“I think we’re positioning ourselves to be ready to provide outstanding services to people within and outside of Wisconsin,” says Columna.
To learn even more about Columna’s Fit Families Program, check out this video.