Factors associated with leisure activity among young adults with developmental disabilities.
Free-time success hinges on three levers you can pull: reduce activity limits, keep education going, and create real social roles.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Van Naarden Braun et al. (2006) asked young adults with developmental disabilities about their free-time habits.
They used a one-time survey to see what limits or boosts leisure activity.
The team looked at three things: how much the person’s body limits action, school history, and everyday social roles.
What they found
Activity limits, school level, and social roles each predicted how much free-time fun people had.
More limits meant less leisure; more school or social roles meant more.
How this fits with other research
Capio et al. (2013) repeated the survey seven years later and added a twist: people said they wanted active, social fun but were stuck at home doing quiet solo things.
Van Naarden Braun et al. (2009) showed that only severe or multiple impairments create big activity limits; mild ones rarely do. This backs the 2006 finding that limits matter, but only at the severe end.
Mihaila et al. (2017) moved the lens to older adults with Down syndrome and found caregiver help boosts physical leisure. Together the papers draw a life-span line: fix limits in youth, add caregiver support later.
Why it matters
Transition plans often focus on jobs and housing. This work says add leisure goals too. Ask about activity limits, school plans, and social roles in every annual plan. When limits are high, schedule extra mobility practice or adaptive gear. When roles are few, build clubs, sports, or volunteer slots into the IEP or ISP. More free-time fun now predicts better adult quality of life later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) was applied to examine the factors associated with childhood impairment and leisure activity. Information on leisure activity was obtained using a structured questionnaire from a population-based cohort of young adults with childhood impairment. The results underscore the differences in leisure lifestyles by impairment type and severity. Activity limitations, educational attainment, and the acquisition of adult social roles were significant predictors of leisure activity. This study emphasizes the importance of improving daily activities, increasing attendance of postsecondary school and opportunities for competitive employment and participation in impairment-related programs to help increase the number and scope of types of leisure activities for young adults with developmental disabilities.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2006 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2005.05.008