Abstract
Dressing is a fundamental independent living skill often haphazardly acquired via visual observation. For children with vision impairment and children with Down Syndrome (where vision impairment is a component), dressing skill acquisition can be delayed due to a reduced/absent visual modality. Independent living skills is an aspect of habilitation practice and training, designed to maximise independence in children and young people with vision impairment and prepare them for adulthood. This paper, presented in two parts, first details a systematic (UK based) survey exploring fastening use across a clothing sample of birth-adult clothing (N=12,967). Study 1 presents a frequency distribution exploring types of fastenings used on clothing items from birth-adulthood. The data are fundamental in exploring the likelihood of fastening exposure across developmental phases. Further, Study 1 details the process behind developing a novel dressing skill intervention. Informed by Study 1, Study 2 qualitatively explored the effectiveness of an original resource/group-based intervention over a 10-week period. Eighteen children were recruited for the study, namely children with vision impairment (n=9) and children with Down Syndrome (n=9) aged 5-11 years. Collective and illustrative case studies are presented based on emergent themes from intervention observations. The findings reveal areas for consideration by Habilitation Specialists and the multidisciplinary team surrounding children with vision impairment and/or Down Syndrome as this may inform Habilitation Plans, and Educational Health Care Plan reports. The implications of this study extend beyond dressing skill development in children with vision impairment and/or Down Syndrome and inform resource development and subsequent practice when working with children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Highlights
Habilitation is the process of maximising independence in children with vision impairment, supporting the achievement of motor, sensory, psychological, and cognitive milestones (Hayton and Dimitriou, 2019)
Independent dressing skill acquisition is essential for participation in everyday life (Bardin, 2014), and the ability to perform this task in a variety of appropriate settings that are familiar and unfamiliar is adaptive behaviour
Intellectual disability could affect successful independent dressing in children with Down syndrome, low IQ is not considered a predictor of delayed motor skill acquisition and adaptive behaviours at a young age (∼4 years)
Summary
Habilitation is the process of maximising independence in children with vision impairment, supporting the achievement of motor, sensory, psychological, and cognitive milestones (Hayton and Dimitriou, 2019). Children with Down Syndrome are at elevated risk of vision impairment including cataract, refractive errors, and strabismus (independent of refractive error) (Cregg et al, 2003; Creavin and Brown, 2009; Salt and Sargent, 2014). This means that access to incidental learning in this population may be compromised. Intellectual disability could affect successful independent dressing in children with Down syndrome, low IQ is not considered a predictor of delayed motor skill acquisition and adaptive behaviours at a young age (∼4 years). Rather the impact of intellectual disability on independent selfcare skills becomes apparent as chronological age increases (e.g., 21 years) (Carr, 2000, 2005)
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