Investigation on participation, supports and barriers of children with specific learning disabilities.
Kids with SLD face medium-sized participation gaps everywhere—target environmental barriers in your plans.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Şahin et al. (2020) compared how kids with specific learning disabilities spend their day.
They looked at home, school, and community settings.
The team used surveys and checklists to spot supports and barriers.
What they found
Kids with SLD joined fewer activities than peers without disabilities.
Barriers like noise, unclear rules, and missing aids popped up in all three places.
The gap was medium-sized, not tiny, not huge.
How this fits with other research
Engel-Yeger et al. (2013) saw the same pattern in kids with visual or hearing loss.
Both studies used quasi-experiments and found medium participation gaps, so the problem crosses disability types.
Foti et al. (2015) meta-analysis showed kids with reading disabilities also struggle with memory and executive skills.
Sedef adds the real-world payoff: those cognitive gaps translate into missing clubs, chores, and playground games.
Maciver et al. (2020) built a short teacher scale for school participation.
Use it to turn Sedef’s barrier list into trackable goals.
Why it matters
Your next plan can go beyond academics.
List the sensory, social, and structural barriers the child meets at home, school, and in the community.
Add supports like visual schedules, peer buddies, or noise-reducing headphones.
Track change with the School Participation Questionnaire or simple activity logs.
More participation now means better self-concept and quality of life later.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
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Join Free →Pick one community activity, remove one barrier (e.g., provide a picture menu at the snack bar), and tally participation for two weeks.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Children with specific learning disabilities (SLD) have been observed to face participation restrictions in their daily life. AIMS: This study aims to examine the participation and environmental features of children with SLD compared to non-disabled children. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This study was designed as a case-controlled study. Parents of children between 5 and 17 years of age with SLD (n = 90) and those who are non-disabled (n = 88) were included in this study to do the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY). RESULTS: Differences between groups were found statistically significant in home, school, and community settings between both participation and environmental features (p < 0.05). Children with SLD participated less frequently in school settings and were less involved in activities in home and school settings. Parents of children with SLD desired more change in their child's participation in all settings. Environmental factors were significantly more likely to be identified as barriers in the participation of children with SLD. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: This study provides information about participation patterns and environmental factors for many children with SLD. The results provide insights into a rehabilitation program that may improve the participation of children with SLD, and on where greater efforts are needed to support participation and environmental features for children with SLD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103639