Participation in leisure activities: differences between children with and without physical disabilities.
Children with physical disabilities, especially girls, join fewer social leisure activities—screen with the CLASS and add peer clubs to the plan.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched how kids spend free time. They compared children with and without physical disabilities.
They wrote down every sport, club, and play date. They counted how many included other people.
What they found
Kids with physical disabilities joined fewer activities. Their list of hobbies was shorter.
Girls with disabilities had the smallest lists. Most of their free time was spent alone.
How this fits with other research
Libero et al. (2016) looked at dozens of papers and found no one agrees on what "participation" means. Our study shows one clear part: being with peers matters.
Holck et al. (2009) found that children with cerebral palsy talk and joke the same as other kids. Yet Lifshitz et al. (2014) show these same children are invited less. The gap is social, not skill.
Nickerson et al. (2015) report that families of children with physical disabilities feel little stigma. Still, the kids stay home. Low stigma does not equal high inclusion.
Why it matters
You can spot isolation early. Run the CLASS questionnaire during intake. Ask about weekend plans, not just therapy goals. Add peer-only clubs to the care plan. Free time is therapy time when it builds friendships.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aim of the current study was to compare varied dimensions of participation in leisure activities among school-aged children ages 10-16 with and without disabilities. The Children Leisure Activity Scale (CLASS) was administrated to 294 children, 81 with and 213 without physical disability. Two-way MANCOVA revealed significant differences between the frequency of participation in leisure activities of the study groups: an effect of disability F(4,265=239.57; p<0.001, η(2)=0.78); an effect of gender F(4,265=3.35; p<0.01, η(2)=0.05); and an interaction effect between gender and disability F(4,265=5.23; p<0.001, η(2)=0.64). Children with disabilities, and mostly girls, were found at risk to participate in a narrower variety of activities that involved fewer social interactions. Using linear regressions for each group two different models were identified. Using the CLASS the study contributes evidence-based data regarding children at risk for leisure participation. In addition, the research further established the discriminate validity of the CLASS.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.10.001