A Strength-Based Intervention to Increase Participation in Leisure Activities in Children with Neuropsychiatric Disabilities: A Pilot Study.
Anna Ullenhag, Mats Granlund, Lena Almqvist and 1 others
PMID 32454804WHAT IT FOUND
Two boys with autism and ADHD set their own leisure goals.
They reached these goals and rated their own ability higher. However, the intervention was time-consuming for staff, and the small number of participants means we cannot know if this works for others.
Key findings
01Only two children completed the eight-week intervention after one dropped out, limiting the study to a feasibility check rather than an efficacy test.
02The two participants attained their self-selected goals and showed increased self-rated performance ability for two of the three goals.
03Therapists found the goal scaling method difficult and time-consuming, and felt the weekly group meetings were too frequent.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only two participants, making it impossible to determine if the intervention works for a broader population. The design was a pilot for feasibility, not a controlled trial, so there is no comparison group to rule out natural maturation or other factors causing the changes. Outcome measures like self-rated performance ability and self-efficacy were collected by the children themselves, which can be subject to bias, especially when the child knows the therapist's expectations. The intervention was delivered by a specific team in an urban Swedish setting, which may not be replicable in other clinical contexts with different staffing or resources. One child dropped out due to school commitments, highlighting that the high time demand of the intervention may be a barrier to participation for families.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest are declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this intervention causes improved participation or self-efficacy. The study had only two participants, no control group, and was designed only to check if the method could be done. The positive results are anecdotal and may be due to natural development, extra attention from therapists, or the children's desire to please the staff.