Biography
Daniel E. Lidstone, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at Penn State Harrisburg. He earned his doctorate in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, with a focus on Biomechanics, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2019. Following his Ph.D., Dr. Lidstone completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD.
Dr. Lidstone’s research focuses on sensory-motor differences in children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD and fetal alcohol syndrome. His aim is to enhance early detection and intervention strategies. In collaboration with colleagues at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Lidstone developed an innovative, low-cost video game designed to assess sensory preferences in children with autism. This tool has highlighted that these children often struggle with dynamic visual information for motor control and prefer intrinsic proprioceptive feedback over extrinsic visual feedback.
By extending these child-friendly, objective assessments to younger and more affected children, Dr. Lidstone hopes to improve early autism detection and provide clinicians with valuable metrics for planning and monitoring interventions.
Additionally, Dr. Lidstone is a NSCA certified strength and conditioning coach (CSCS) with extensive experience coaching individuals with physical and intellectual differences, gained through his work at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Special Olympics of Maryland. He is dedicated to collaborating with community stakeholders to make sports and physical activities more accessible for individuals with diverse needs.
Research Interests
- Developmental trajectories of sensory-motor bias in children with autism
- Mechanisms underpinning dynamic visual-motor integration in children with autism
- Effect of augmented haptic feedback on skill acquisition in children with autism
- Remote assessment of sensory-motor function for individuals living in rural communities
Publications
Lidstone, D. E., Mostofsky, S. H., & Ewen, J. (2023). Towards Experimental Approaches to Advance Discovery of Clinically Meaningful Sensory-Motor Biomarkers. Handbook of Autism Spectrum Disorders 5th Edition.
Lidstone, D. E., & Mostofsky, S. H. (2021). Moving toward understanding autism: Visual-motor integration, imitation, and social skill development. Pediatric Neurology, 122, 98-105.
Lidstone, D. E., Miah, F. Z., Poston, B., Beasley, J. F., Mostofsky, S. H., & Dufek, J. S. (2020). Children with autism spectrum disorder show impairments during dynamic versus static grip‐force tracking. Autism Research, 13(12), 2177-2189.
Education
Post-doc at Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research (Kennedy Krieger Institute)
Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
M.S. in Exercise Science (Appalachian State University)
B.A. in Kinesiology and Physical Education (Wilfrid Laurier University)