Abstract
Participation in everyday activities at home and in the community is essential for children’s development and well-being. Limited information exists about participation patterns of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examines these participation patterns in both the home and community, and the extent to which environmental factors and social communication abilities are associated with participation. Fifty-four parents of preschool-aged children with ASD completed the Participation and Environment Measure for Young Children and the Autism Classification System of Functioning: Social Communication. The children had a mean age of 48.9 (8.4) months. Patterns of participation were studied using descriptive statistics, radar graphs, and Spearman correlations. Children with ASD participated in a variety of activities at home and in the community, but showed a higher participation frequency at home. Parents identified different barriers (e.g., social demands) and supports (e.g., attitudes) in both settings. There was a moderate positive association between children’s social communication abilities and their levels of involvement during participation and the diversity of activities. This study highlights the importance of social communication abilities in the participation of preschool children with ASD, and the need to support parents while they work to improve their child’s participation, especially within their communities.
Highlights
Participation is defined in the WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) as “involvement in a life situation” [1]
This descriptive study explored participation patterns of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and factors associated with participation, including the environment and the social communication abilities of the child
Relationship between social communication and participation: Our findings indicated that better social communication abilities were associated with a wider variety of activities in which the child participated at home, and higher levels of involvement when participating in these activities
Summary
Participation is defined in the WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) as “involvement in a life situation” [1]. Participation has been described as the intensity of engagement or being involved in a life situation [2], and as the experience of taking part in an everyday activity [4]. Participation has been defined as a multidimensional concept that includes two essential constructs: Attendance to an activity, and level of involvement [5,6]. Attendance is defined as “being there” and is measured by the frequency and/or diversity of activities in which the person takes part [5]. Involvement is defined as “the experience of participation while attending, including elements of motivation, persistence, social connection, and affect” [5].
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