Relationships Between Recreation and Levels of Self-Determination for Adolescents and Young Adults With Disabilities

Abstract

Self-determination continues to be a focus for secondary students who have intellectual disabilities. This study examined the relationship between recreation and self-determination for adolescents and young adults with intellectual disabilities. Students from secondary and post—high school special education programs tracked their involvement in recreation for a 2-week period. Then students were given the Arc's Self-Determination Scale. The results establish a predictive relationship between recreation and self-determination indicating that increased amounts of time adolescents and young adults spend actively involved in recreation were found to be predictive of higher levels of self-determination. The findings support that recreation may be a useful strategy for enhancing self-determination skills and that self-determination can be increased through experiences, not just through teaching explicit skills.