Comparing participation in out of school activities between children with visual impairments, children with hearing impairments and typical peers.
Kids with visual or hearing impairments do far fewer after-school activities, so screen with CAPE and write real-world participation goals.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers compared after-school activity choices of three groups. One group had visual impairments. One group had hearing impairments. One group had no disabilities.
They used the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE). This tool lists 55 activities like sports, clubs, and chores. Kids mark which ones they do outside school hours.
What they found
Both disabled groups joined fewer activities than typical peers. The visual-impairment group had the biggest gap. They also tried fewer types of activities.
Kids with hearing impairments fell in the middle. They did more than the visual-impairment group, but still less than typical peers.
How this fits with other research
Şahin et al. (2020) ran a similar CAPE study with children who have specific learning disabilities. Both papers show the same pattern: disabled kids do fewer activities. The tool and effect size match, so the finding is not limited to sensory impairments.
Lanza et al. (2024) reviewed 69 studies on visual impairment and participation. Their large review includes these 2013 CAPE results. The review confirms that reduced participation is common across many ages and tools.
Cappagli et al. (2016) found a different kind of gap. They showed that kids with visual impairments also lag on sound-location tasks. Together, the papers tell us the impairment affects multiple skills, not just sight.
Why it matters
If you serve a child with visual or hearing impairments, run the CAPE first. It takes 20 minutes and gives you a list of missing activities. Pick one gap, like team sports or music clubs. Write a participation goal in the ISP. Track it weekly. Small gains in community activities can lift quality of life more than another tabletop program.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Hearing or visual impairments may negatively affect child's development and participation. Yet the literature about participation of children with hearing or visual impairments is insufficient. The present study aimed to compare participation patterns of children with visual impairments to those of children with hearing impairments and to typical peers and to examine the correlations between participation and socio-demographic parameters in each group. Participants were 70 children between the ages of 6-11: 25 with hearing impairments, 20 with visual impairments and 25 typical peers. All children filled the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE). This self-report refers to participation in daily out of school activities. Children with hearing or visual impairments showed significant limited participation compared to typical peers, expressed in lower number of activities, lower participation intensity; more activities performed at home and with someone else. The limited participation was more emphasized among children with visual impairments. Socio-demographic variables (age, mother's education and socio-economic level) correlated with participation dimensions in both study groups. In conclusion, children with hearing or visual impairments may have restricted participation in out of school activities. Socio-demographic parameters may play a role in encouraging child's participation. Participation among these populations should be further studied in order to assist service providers to create intervention programs together with the child, for enhancing his/her inclusion in the community.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.05.049