Determinants of activity and participation in preschoolers with developmental delay.
Social, motor, and attention skills drive most of the play-participation gap in preschoolers with developmental delay.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched preschoolers with developmental delay during free play and class time. They also asked parents and teachers to fill out rating scales about how kids join games, move, and pay attention.
The study compared these scores to same-age peers without delays. Researchers then ran stats to see which child skills best explained the gap in activity and participation.
What they found
Kids with developmental delay scored much lower on every activity measure. Social, motor, and attention problems together explained about one-third of why these children joined in less.
In plain words, when a child struggles to share, climb, or stay focused, playtime suffers the most.
How this fits with other research
Asonitou et al. (2012) saw the same pattern. Their preschoolers with coordination disorder also lagged in motor and thinking games, backing up the motor piece found here.
Huang et al. (2013) and Tseng et al. (2011) moved the lens to school-age kids with cerebral palsy. Motor severity and prosocial behavior again topped the predictor list, showing the rule holds across diagnoses and ages.
Hodge et al. (2021) seems to disagree. In preschoolers with autism, they report cognitive ability—not social or motor skills—predicts adaptive living. The gap is real: both studies used regression, but Antoinette focused on classroom self-care while K et al. looked at play participation. Different outcomes explain the clash, not flawed data.
Why it matters
If a child with delays avoids playground games, check social, motor, and attention skills first. Target these three areas in therapy and you may unlock broader participation. Share this short list with teachers and families so everyone knows where to focus first.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health model endorsed by the World Health Organization, activity (the execution of a task or action by an individual), and participation (involvement in a life situation) are important components in the assessment of health and functioning of an individual. The purpose of this study was to compare the activity performance and school participation of preschool children with developmental delay (DD) and age-matched typically developing children, and to identify the determinants of activity and participation in preschoolers with DD. Fifty-four children with DD (37 boys, 17 girls; mean age: 66 months) and 54 age-matched typically developing children (34 boys, 20 girls; mean age: 65 months) were recruited from the mainstream preschools with integrated program units. Activity and participation were evaluated using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) and School Function Assessment (SFA). Other factors that may influence activity and participation such as impairments in sensory, motor, and mental functioning, and other contextual factors (e.g. family income) were also measured. The DD group had significantly lower VABS (p < 0.001) and SFA (p<0.001) scores than controls, indicating suboptimal activity and participation. Multiple regression analysis revealed that deficits in social and motor skills, and in inattention/hyperactivity, were significantly associated with activity and participation in children with DD, accounting for approximately 35-37% of the variance in the VABS and SFA scores ( p<0.001). In conclusion, deficits in social and motor functioning, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder-related symptoms, are important determinants of activity and participation in preschoolers with DD. One may consider targeting these specific areas to enhance activity and participation amongst these children.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.10.005