Article

OBJECTIVE: To examine patterns of community participation and environmental
factors that affect community participation for school-age children with and
without disabilities. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive,
and exploratory study. SETTING: Parents from the United States and Canada completed the main
outcome measure online in their homes or communities. PARTICIPANTS: Parents
(N=576) reported on their children aged 5 to 17 years with disabilities (n=282)
and without disabilities (n=294). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURE: Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth. RESULTS:
Group differences in summary scores and many items were significant (P<.001).
Children with disabilities participated less frequently, were less involved, and
had less environmental support in the community than children without
disabilities. Parents of children with disabilities desired more change in their
child's participation than parents of children without disabilities. Effect sizes
for summary scores were moderate to very large (n(2)p from .11-.40), with the
largest group difference found in environment scores. Overall, the largest group
differences in participation were in "unstructured physical activities" and
"getting together with other children"-also the 2 areas where parents of children
with disabilities most frequently desired change. The largest differences in
environmental impact were in physical, social, and cognitive activity demands and
availability/adequacy of programs and services. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide
insights about where greater efforts are needed to support community
participation of school-age children with disabilities. Further study with a more
diverse sample in terms of race/ethnicity, family income/education levels, and
geographic region is needed to determine the extent to which results may be
generalized.
CI - Copyright (c) 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS