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Associate Professor Sean Tweedy

Associate Professor

School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences
s.tweedy@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 56638

Overview

A/Prof Sean Tweedy leads the Para Sport and Adapted Physical Activity Research Group in the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland. Through his applied research program he aims to generate the knowledge required to empower people with disabilities to pursue self-directed goals through safe, effective engagement in sport and physical activity. Sean’s research addresses three main areas of need:

  • People with disabilities are among the most inactive people in society and consequently have a disproportionately high incidence of preventable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes mellitus. Sean’s research program aims to develop evaluate and translate evidence-based methods for increasing physically active behaviour among community dwelling adults with disabilities.
  • Para athletes have impairments which adversely affect sports performance, but the extent to which performance is affected varies greatly with some athletes having impairments that cause severe disadvantage in sport and others that cause relatively minor disadvantage. To ensure that competition is fair and that athletes who succeed are not simply those that have less severe impairments, Para athletes compete in classes, each comprising athletes who have impairments that cause a similar amount of disadvantage in sport. Methods for allocating class are not well established and Sean is Principal Investigator for the International Paralympic Committee’s Classification Research and Development Centre (physical impairments) which aims to develop best practice and evidence-based methods for allocating athletes to classes;
  • In Australia, the right of people with disability to participate in sport and recreation is protected but only if the accommodations they require - equipment and/or expertise - are deemed to be "reasonable”. Unfortunately people with severe disabilities and high support needs often require equipment and/or expertise which cannot reasonably be expected of community sport and recreation providers. Sean’s research program aims to develop, evaluate and translate methods for safe, effective engagement in physically demanding, competitive sport for people with severe disabilities and high support needs. ParaSTART is his flagship program in this area - https://habs.uq.edu.au/parastart

Research Impacts

Sean developed the Adapted Physical Activity Program (APAP), a theory-driven physical activity promotion program for community dwelling people disabilities. A controlled clinical trial demonstrated its efficacy in people with acquired brain injury, providing impetus for its implementation into the Acquired Brain Injury-Transitional Rehabilitation Service, Queensland’s primary rehabilitation service for people with brain injury. APAP also runs on a cost recovery basis from UQ and each year more than 100 community dwelling adults with a wide range of disabilities are referred. To refer a client visit - https://hmns.uq.edu.au/apap/.

Our research group developed the Maximum Allowable Standing Height (MASH) rule for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) which is the international standard used to ensure the prosthetics used by bilateral lower limb amputees are anatomically proportional. In 2019 Mr Blake Leeper (USA), a bilateral transtibial amputee and elite 400 m sprinter, applied to World Athletics (WA, Previously IAAF)to run at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games (i.e., against non-disabled runners). In support of his application Mr Leeper provided a scientific report which claimed to show that his prosthetics did not provide him with a competitive advantage. Our group were engaged by WA to evaluate the scientific merit of Mr Leeper's application. We assessed Mr Leepers report and a range of other scientific evidence and advised WA that, on the balance of probabilities, Mr Leepers prosthetics did confer an advantage his application should be rejected. Mr Leeper contested the decision but on 26.10.21 the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in support of our assessment (CAS2020/A/6807). In December 2020 Mr Leeper challenged the CAS decision on the grounds that the scientific evidence provided by our group was racially discriminatory. However, on 11.6.21, CAS once again ruled in our favour and found our methods were not racially discriminatory (decision announced, grounds pending).

Sean is first author on the IPC Position Stand – Background and Scientific Principles of Classification in disability sport which is among the most highly cited scientific papers in the field (263 citations) and which has also been incorporated verbatim into the IPC Handbook (Chapter 4.4), the common repository for all guiding documents for the Paralympic movement

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Master of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

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Available Projects

  • Does a high-volume, performance-focused swimming program elicit meaningful, therapeutic change in people with cerebral palsy? A proof-of-concept study

    In the general population, the dose-response relationship between exercise volume and relative disease-risk is curvilinear with an inflection at 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week: below this volume (i.e., lower frequency, intensity and/or duration) relative disease-risk increases rapidly; and above this volume, disease-risk continues to decrease, but less rapidly. Importantly, there is no obvious upper threshold. This dose-response relationship is believed to apply to people with cerebral palsy (CP), although research in this population to date has focused almost exclusively on low-volume exercise. The benefits of high-volume exercise have not been investigated and anecdotal evidence indicates that high-volume exercise, such as is undertaken by Paralympic swimmers, elicits clinical outcomes that significantly exceed those conferred by lower volumes. This proof-of-concept study will apply Talent Identification/Talent Development methods from elite sport to identify untrained, people with CP with moderate-to-severe impairments, but with physical and psychological attributes known to be advantageous in competitive swimming. Half of the sample will complete a 12-week, high-volume, performance-focused swimming program. The effect of this exercise dose on participants’ health, fitness and functioning will be compared with the effects of a 12-week intervention aimed at assisting a control-group to accrue 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Featured Publications

Book Chapter

  • The role of classification in talent identification and development in para sports

    Fortin-Guichard, Daniel, Blaauw, Eline, van der Rijst, Ralf, Tweedy, Sean, Mann, David and Woods, Michael (2023). The role of classification in talent identification and development in para sports. Talent Development in Paralympic Sport: Researcher and practitioner perspectives. (pp. 69-85) edited by Nima Dehghansai, Ross A. Pinder and Joe Baker. New York, NY United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003184430-6

  • Spinal cord injury

    Tweedy, Sean M., Beckman, Emma M., Connick, Mark J., Hart, Anne L., Karinharju, Kati, Clanchy, Kelly M. and Geragthy, Timothy (2022). Spinal cord injury. Clinical exercise physiology: exercise management for chronic diseases and special populations. (pp. 461-486) edited by Jonathan K. Ehrman, Paul M. Gordon, Paul S. Visich and Steven J. Keteyian. Champaign, IL, United States: Human Kinetics.

  • Evolution and development of best practice in paralympic classification

    Connick, Mark J., Beckman, Emma and Tweedy, Sean M. (2018). Evolution and development of best practice in paralympic classification. The Palgrave handbook of paralympic studies. (pp. 389-416) edited by Ian Brittain and Aaron Beacom. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/978-1-137-47901-3_18

  • Research needs for the development of evidence-based systems of classification for physical, vision and intellectual impairments

    Tweedy, Sean M., Mann, David and Vanlandewijck, Yves C. (2016). Research needs for the development of evidence-based systems of classification for physical, vision and intellectual impairments. Training and coaching the paralympic athlete. (pp. 122-149) edited by Yves C. Vanlandewijck and Walter R. Thompson. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/9781119045144.ch7

  • Introduction to the paralympic movement

    Tweedy, Sean and Howe, P. David (2011). Introduction to the paralympic movement. The paralympic athlete. (pp. 3-30) edited by Yves C. Vanlandewijck and Walter R. Thompson. Chichester, W Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

  • Introduction to the Paralympic Movement

    Tweedy, Sean and Howe, P. David (2010). Introduction to the Paralympic Movement. The Paralympic Athlete: Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science. (pp. 1-30) Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. doi: 10.1002/9781444328356.ch1

  • Introduction to wheelchair sport

    Tweedy, Sean and Diaper, Nicholas (2010). Introduction to wheelchair sport. Wheelchair sport: A complete guide for athletes, coaches, and teachers. (pp. 3-28) edited by Vicky Goosey-Tolfrey. Champaign Ill., U.S.A.: Human Kinetics.

  • Appendix B - Rationale for changes in criteria for unilateral upper limb deficiency

    Tweedy, S.M. and Bourke, J. (2009). Appendix B - Rationale for changes in criteria for unilateral upper limb deficiency. IPC athletics classification project for physical impairments: Final report. (pp. 72-74) edited by Sean Tweedy and J. Bourke. Bonn: IPC Athletics.

  • Appendix C - Assessing extent of activity limitation resulting from impairment

    Tweedy, S.M. (2009). Appendix C - Assessing extent of activity limitation resulting from impairment. IPC Athletics Classification Project for Physical Impairments: Final Report. (pp. 75-77) edited by Sean Tweedy and J. Bourke. Bonn: IPC Athletics.

  • Reducing preventable health disadvantage for people with disabilities through physical activity promotion

    Tweedy, S. M. (2008). Reducing preventable health disadvantage for people with disabilities through physical activity promotion. Health Care Practice in Australia. (pp. 255-269) edited by Taylor, Sandra, Foster, Michele and Fleming, Jennifer. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

  • The ICF and Classification in Disability Athletics

    Tweedy, S. M. (2003). The ICF and Classification in Disability Athletics. ICF Australian User Guide, Version 1.0, Disability Series. (pp. 82-88) edited by R. Madden, S. Bricknell, C. Sykes and L. York. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Development, validation and evaluation of methods for monitoring training load in swimmers

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • INVESTIGATION OF MUSCULOSKELETAL CHANGES IN PARA-ATHLETES

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Enduring policy conundrums in the education of young people with disabilities: The case of Health, Sport and Physical Education

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Understanding and influencing sedentary time in workers with a disability

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Utilising technology and exer-gaming alongside exercise therapy interventions to improve the physical literacy of children with disabilities and their families.

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Does a high-volume, performance-focused swimming program elicit meaningful, therapeutic change in people with cerebral palsy? A proof-of-concept study

    In the general population, the dose-response relationship between exercise volume and relative disease-risk is curvilinear with an inflection at 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week: below this volume (i.e., lower frequency, intensity and/or duration) relative disease-risk increases rapidly; and above this volume, disease-risk continues to decrease, but less rapidly. Importantly, there is no obvious upper threshold. This dose-response relationship is believed to apply to people with cerebral palsy (CP), although research in this population to date has focused almost exclusively on low-volume exercise. The benefits of high-volume exercise have not been investigated and anecdotal evidence indicates that high-volume exercise, such as is undertaken by Paralympic swimmers, elicits clinical outcomes that significantly exceed those conferred by lower volumes. This proof-of-concept study will apply Talent Identification/Talent Development methods from elite sport to identify untrained, people with CP with moderate-to-severe impairments, but with physical and psychological attributes known to be advantageous in competitive swimming. Half of the sample will complete a 12-week, high-volume, performance-focused swimming program. The effect of this exercise dose on participants’ health, fitness and functioning will be compared with the effects of a 12-week intervention aimed at assisting a control-group to accrue 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Human movement studies, Exercise science, Disability and sport, Paralympics, Health and disability, Sport and disability, Physical activity, Careers - exercise science, Disability and health, Physical activity and disability, Wheelchair sports

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: E-8448-2011

ORCID: 0000-0002-2011-3382

Scopus ID: 6602451500

Google Scholar ID:

Personal Profile: Link

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