YU-PING CHEN, PT, SCD

Assistant Professor 

UL 1277
Office: 404-413-1256
Fax: 404-413-1230
Email: ypchen@gsu.edu

Education:

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Developmental Psychology
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2005-2007

Sc.D, Applied Kinesiology
Boston University,1994-2001

B.S., Physical Therapy
National Taiwan University, 1988-1992

Courses Taught:

• Movement Sciences
• Lifespan I, II, and III
• Evidence-based Practice I, II, and III
  

Research:

My research in motor development is informed from the dynamical systems theory and Gibson’s theory of ecological psychology. Infant action is viewed as an emergent property from the interaction between the constraints of infant, environment, and task. I am interested in identifying the constraints that affect the emergence of reaching patterns in infants and children with developmental disorders. I also examine the effectiveness of novel physical therapy interventions (e.g. virtual reality, robotic therapy) on the improvement of children with developmental disabilities (such as children with cerebral palsy) using motion analysis measurements. My current research is focused on very low birth weight infants, children with Down Syndrome and children with Cerebral Palsy.

Selected Publications (5):

• Haddad, J. M., Chen, Y., & Keen, R.(2011). Preschooler’s Search for a Hidden Object. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 109: 123-131.
• Fetters, L., Sapir, I., Chen, Y., Kubo, M., & Tronick, E. Z. (2010). Spontaneous Kicking in Full-Term and Preterm Infants With and Without White Matter Disorder. Developmental Psychobiology, 52(6): 524-536.
• Chen, Y., Keen, R., Rosander, K., & von Hofsten, C. (2010). Movement Planning Reflects Skill Level and Age Changes in Toddlers. Child Development, 81(6):1846-1858.
• Chen, Y., Kang, L-J, Chuang, T-Y., Doong, J-L., Lee, S-J., Tsai, M-W., Jeng, S-F., & Sung, W-S. (2007). The Use of Virtual Reality to Improve Upper Extremity Control in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Single-Subject Design. Physical Therapy, 87(11):1441-1457.
• Chen, Y., & Yang, TF (2007). Effect of Task Goals on the Reaching Patterns of Children with Cerebral Palsy. Journal of Motor Behavior, 39 (4):317-325.

Professional Service Activities:

• Committee member, Membership Committee, Section on Research, American Physical Therapy Association
• Discipline Leader in Physical Therapy, Georgia LEND (Leadership Education on Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities)