Patterns and determinants of leisure participation of youth and adults with developmental disabilities.
Clients with developmental disabilities want more social and physical leisure but are stuck in solitary passive activities—target environmental barriers first.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team mailed a short survey to 283 Spanish teens and adults with developmental disabilities. They asked what leisure activities the person did last month and what they wished they could do.
Age, school status, and disability level were also recorded. No one received an intervention; this was a snapshot.
What they found
Most days were spent in solitary passive fun: TV, tablets, or listening to music at home. Yet when asked what they wanted, social and physical activities topped the list.
Older age, leaving school, and more severe disability each made the gap worse. The wish list stayed high even for adults over 30.
How this fits with other research
Shikako-Dratsch et al. (2013) saw the same wish-vs-reality gap in teens with cerebral palsy. Social activities scored highest for enjoyment, but participation dropped once they left school.
Hsieh et al. (2015) later showed BMI climbs and physical activity falls after high-school exit for adults with ID. Capio et al. (2013) now links those health numbers to a clear leisure vacuum.
Amore et al. (2011) looked only at children with DCD and blamed motor limits. The 2013 survey widens the lens: even adults with milder motor issues stay stuck at home, hinting that motor skill is only one brick in the wall.
Why it matters
If your client can name three places outside the house she’d like to visit, write them down. Those answers are data. Use them to build a leisure goal into the ISP, then script the ride, the cost, and the peer invitation. Treat the environment, not the disability, as the first problem to solve.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: People with developmental disabilities are at high risk for a limited participation in leisure activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the participation in, preference for and interest in leisure activities of young and adults with developmental disabilities, and to examine the factors associated with leisure activity. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used with a convenience sample of 237 people aged 17 to 65, living in the community. Leisure participation was assessed with the Spanish version of Leisure Assessment Inventory. Percentages were calculated by types of activity, and repeated measures anovas were used to analyse the differences between types of activities, and mixed anovas to analyse the factors that explain differences in leisure activity participation, preference and interest. RESULTS: Leisure social activities and recreation activities at home were mostly solitary and passive in nature and were identified as those being most commonly engaged in. Respondents expressed preference for more social and physical activity, and they were interested in trying out a large number of physical activities. Age and type of schooling determine participation in leisure activity. The results underscore the differences in leisure activity participation, preference and interest depending on the severity of the disability. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal interesting patterns of participation in leisure activities from the viewpoint of youngsters and adults with developmental disabilities. Leisure participation among people with developmental disabilities is likely to be more affected by environmental factors than by personal factors.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2013 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2012.01539.x