Play Together? Unveiling Facilitators and Barriers to Inclusive Outdoor Play for Dutch Children With and Without Disabilities: A Qualitative Study.
R Q Beekhuizen, E A M Bolster, J W Gorter and 6 others
PMID 41024521WHAT IT FOUND
Children with disabilities, especially those in special schools, face the most barriers to outdoor play.
Key obstacles include lack of nearby peers, inaccessible playgrounds, and pity from other children. Familiarity and growing up together were the strongest facilitators for inclusive play.
Key findings
01Children with disabilities in special primary education reported the highest number of barriers to inclusive outdoor play.
02Peers without disabilities often excluded children with disabilities due to unfamiliarity and pity rather than intentional discrimination.
03Physical barriers such as inaccessible surfaces and distance to adapted playgrounds prevented independent access for children using assistive devices.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study relied on self-reported experiences and did not observe actual play behavior. Detailed clinical data on disability severity was not collected; school placement and assistive device use were used as proxies. Some interviews were conducted online due to the pandemic, which may have reduced contextual information. Children may have provided socially desirable answers given the sensitive nature of the topic.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the reported barriers as evidence that inclusive play programs are ineffective. This study describes the children's perspectives on existing obstacles; it did not test an intervention or measure outcomes.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →