Abstract
Placing value on the health and wellness of Children with Disabilities (CWD) should be a core societal value. Twenty percent of children with disabilities aged 10 to 17 are obese. Decreased access to developmentally appropriate recreational activities, and inexperienced instructors lack of knowledge to effectively support their inclusion are barriers to their participation. School-based Physical Therapists (SBPT) are in a distinctive position to provide appropriate and modified fitness programs for children with disabilities. The purpose of this basic qualitative design study was to determine SBPTs’ perspectives on their aptitude and willingness to facilitate fitness, health, and wellness promotion programs for CWD. Social cognitive theory was used as the theoretical grounding for the conceptual framework of this research. The conceptual framework that guided this research was constructed from a combination of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth and the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program conceptual framework. Purposive sampling yielded 12 participants who took part in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through Colaizzi’s seven step method. Results showed that SBPTs felt capable and willing to provide fitness, health, and wellness programs for CWD. Results support findings from the literature that suggest SBPTs are underutilized in the school setting and are equipped to facilitate fitness, health, and wellness initiatives for CWD. Findings inform stakeholders on strategies to steer SBPTs’ role as healthcare professionals in an educational environment. This research brings increased awareness to the potential contribution of SBPTs to partner with schools and families to facilitate fitness, health, and wellness programs for CWD.
Highlights
School and community health and wellness promotion programs and strategies have grown over the last 15 years in response to the growing rate of childhood obesity (Strieter et al, 2019)
A delimitation that may limit the scope of this research is that the results reflect fitness, health, and wellness programs delivered by School-based Physical Therapists (SBPT), and the findings may not apply to physical therapists in other settings. 4.1.2 Implications for Future Research The findings from this basic qualitative study could be expanded by using a quantitative approach and online survey methodology
Recommended research questions for future studies may include, but are not limited to: What are effective strategies to improve the participation of Children with Disabilities (CWD) in fitness programs? How do the parents of CWD perceive the role of SBPTs? How do school administrators perceive the role of SBPTs? Why do school districts not have a health and wellness committee for special education? These research questions may further close the gap in the literature on SBPTs’ role in the schools and fitness, health, and wellness programs for CWD
Summary
School and community health and wellness promotion programs and strategies have grown over the last 15 years in response to the growing rate of childhood obesity (Strieter et al, 2019). Significant barriers to school-based fitness, health, and wellness that must be addressed among CWD, such as physical space, experienced staff, and adapted programs (Rimmer et al, 2016). WSCC’s vision is to view the student from a holistic perspective through creation of environments that support every child’s success This means including CWD while integrating health promotion into school communities (CDC, 2020; Kolbe, 2019). The Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) framework, as a subsection of WSCC, can be used to address the physical activity component of WSCC to increase the overall physical fitness and health of students (Carson et al, 2020) Through this study, it was uncovered how SBPTs can contribute to the CSPAP and inclusive physical activity programs for CWD through collaboration with schools, communities, and families to facilitate fitness, health, and wellness among CWD and to positively affect health determinants.
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