Article

PURPOSE: To describe leisure participation for school-aged children with Down
syndrome and to investigate how factors, classified by the World Health
Organisation's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and
Health, influence their leisure participation. METHOD: Families in Western
Australia with a child aged 5-18 years with Down syndrome were surveyed in a
population-based study (n = 208) in 2004. RESULTS: One-third of parents reported
that their child with Down syndrome had no friends although half reported two or
more friends. Factors affecting number of friendships included the child's
functional ability, behavioural issues and parent's availability of time. Those
children with higher functional independence scores in daily tasks were more
likely to have two or more friends than those with lower functional independence
scores (OR: 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.04 for a single point increase in WeeFIM score).
All children participated in predominantly solitary and sedentary leisure
activities. CONCLUSIONS: Leisure participation was affected by complex factors
both within and external to the child with Down syndrome. Further investigation
of the relevance of these factors to leisure may enable more satisfying and
meaningful participation in leisure for school-aged children with Down syndrome.

Langue : ANGLAIS