Development of a direct observation Measure of Environmental Qualities of Activity Settings.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop an observer-rated measure of aesthetic, physical, social, and opportunity-related qualities of leisure activity settings for young people (with or without disabilities).

Method: Eighty questionnaires were completed by sets of raters who independently rated 22 community/home activity settings. The scales of the 32-item Measure of Environmental Qualities of Activity Settings (MEQAS; Opportunities for Social Activities, Opportunities for Physical Activities, Pleasant Physical Environment, Opportunities for Choice, Opportunities for Personal Growth, and Opportunities to Interact with Adults) were determined using principal components analyses.

Psychosocial determinants of out of school activity participation for children with and without physical disabilities.

Psychosocial determinants of children's out of school participation were examined, using secondary analyses of data from 427 children with physical disabilities (from 12 service locations in Ontario Canada) and 354 children without disabilities, ages 6 to 14. For both groups of children, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that psychosocial variables added significant incremental variance (6% to 14%) to the prediction of active physical intensity and social activity enjoyment, beyond that accounted for by family income, child age and sex, and physical functioning. As well, there were significant psychosocial determinants, with medium to large effect sizes.

The assessment of preschool children's participation: internal consistency and construct validity.

Participation in activities provides the means for young children to learn, play, develop skills, and develop a sense of personal identity. The Assessment of Preschool Children's Participation (APCP) is a newly developed measure to capture the participation of children aged 2 to 5 years and 11 months in the areas of play, skill development, active physical recreation, and social activities. Data from a clinical trial involving 120 children with cerebral palsy indicated that the APCP has moderate to very good internal consistency.

Predictors of Change Over Time in the Activity Participation of Children and Youth with Physical Disabilities.

Little is known about predictors of change over time in the intensity of the leisure and recreational activity participation of children with physical disabilities. This study reports data from 402 children/youth with physical disabilities (216 boys and 186 girls), ages 6 to 15, collected on three occasions over a 3-year period. Latent growth curve modeling was used to determine the significant child, family, and community predictors of change in the intensity of their participation in five types of activities (recreational, active physical, social, skill-based, and self-improvement).

Children with disabilities' perceptions of activity participation and environments: a pilot study.

Background: Children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to participation restrictions resulting from the interactions between children and their physical and social environments.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how children with disabilities view their participation in out-of-school-time (OST) activities in a range of environmental settings.

Methods: A case-study design was used to examine six children's views on their OST activities using the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE), photographs of their OST activity settings, and semi-structured interviews.

Perceived environmental barriers to recreational, community, and school participation for children and youth with physical disabilities.

Objective: To comprehensively describe parent perceptions of environmental barriers to recreational, community, and school participation for children with physical disabilities.

Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data gathered in the first wave of a longitudinal study of the child, family, and environmental factors affecting the recreational and leisure participation of school-age children with physical disabilities.

Setting: General community.

Focus on Function - a randomized controlled trial comparing two rehabilitation interventions for young children with cerebral palsy.

Background: Children with cerebral palsy receive a variety of long-term physical and occupational therapy interventions to facilitate development and to enhance functional independence in movement, self-care, play, school activities and leisure. Considerable human and financial resources are directed at the "intervention" of the problems of cerebral palsy, although the available evidence supporting current interventions is inconclusive. A considerable degree of uncertainty remains about the appropriate therapeutic approaches to manage the habilitation of children with cerebral palsy.