Getting into the Same Boat – Enabling the Realization of the Disabled Child’s Agency in Adult–Child Play Interaction

Johanna Olli,Sanna Salanterä,Liisa Karlsson,Tanja Vehkakoski

doi:10.16993/sjdr.790

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out how an adult can enable or hinder the realization of a disabled child’s agency in play interaction. We focused on the child’s play invitations, which were constructed as dispreferred by the adult. The data consisted of nine videotaped playing situations with five nurses and five disabled children in a children’s neurological ward. The microanalysis with interventionist applied conversation analysis focused on one playing situation between one nurse and one three-year-old boy with no spoken language. The nurse responded to the child’s play invitations constructed as dispreferred by her in three different ways. Two of them were about trying to control the situation, either through managing the child’s behaviour or by guiding the plot of the play. The third way of responding was negotiating through dialogical playing, which enabled the realization of the child’s agency. The findings can be utilized widely for developing child-centred practices.

Highlights

Play is commonly thought to ‘belong’ to children and childhood
We focus on one disabled child’s play invitations, which were constructed as dispreferred by the nurse, because a situation in which a child acts against adults’ wishes can make the realization of the child’s agency especially
Throughout the study, we carefully examined our attitudes towards the child and adult participants and considered what kind of representations the study produces of disabled children and their nurses

Summary

Introduction

Play is commonly thought to ‘belong’ to children and childhood. Children’s right to play has been accepted universally (UN 1989: art. 31) and is considered to be ‘of intrinsic value to the child, purely in terms of the enjoyment and pleasure it affords’ (UN 2013). 31) and is considered to be ‘of intrinsic value to the child, purely in terms of the enjoyment and pleasure it affords’ (UN 2013). This definition is consistent with children’s own views, according to which play is something that is fun to do (Glenn et al 2013; Miller & Kuhaneck 2008; Nicholson et al 2014) where the means are more important than the ends (Glenn et al 2013). From the child’s perspective, it might be reasonable to consider play as relating to the child’s right to be heard (UN 1989: Art. 12; see Davey & Lundy 2011), because participation with children in play gives adults unique insights into children’s perspectives (UN 2013)

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Conclusion