Participation patterns and predictors of participation in preschool children with developmental disability.
Agne Stelmokaite, Audrone Prasauskiene, Indre Bakaniene
PMID 40336662WHAT IT FOUND
Lithuanian preschoolers with developmental disability participated most at home, less in daycare/preschool, and least in community.
Parents wanted the most change in daycare/preschool. For OTs, assess and address environmental demands and how severe the child's activity limitations are.
Key findings
01Participation frequency and variety were highest at home (mean frequency 5.28 on a 7-point scale; 89.6% of activities), followed by daycare/preschool (4.74; 88%), and lowest in the community (2.67; 79%).
02Parents wanted the most change in daycare/preschool activities (69.7%), less at home (61.9%), and least in the community (45.4%).
03Both clinical and environmental factors were associated with participation, and the severity of impairments or activity limitations mattered more than their number.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample from one rehabilitation clinic, so it may not represent children with developmental disability in other areas. The study used parent report only and did not directly observe children's participation. It was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that environmental changes or severity of limitations caused participation differences. Family factors such as marital status, family relations, and income were not measured, although they may affect participation. The translated measure's environment scales had internal consistency of 0.51 to 0.71, while participation scales were 0.73 to 0.89, so environment scores may be less stable.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study received no specific grant from public, commercial, or not-for-profit funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that modifying the environment will improve participation. The paper reports associations from a cross-sectional survey, not tested interventions, and the sample came from one clinic.