Validation of the Chinese version of the Assessment of Preschool Children's Participation for children with physical disabilities

Development of a survey on the activity participation of children with special needs in preschool inclusive education

Participation refers to an individual's psychological and behavioral participation in activities. The activity participation of children with disabilities is an important index to measure preschool inclusive education. This study explored the preparation of a questionnaire suitable for measuring the participation of children with disabilities in inclusive education environments, so as to provide an evaluation tool for researchers and teachers. The study included exploration of the four dimensions of learning participation, life participation, teacher support, and parental attitude of children with disabilities in inclusive education. The research involved kindergarten teachers with inclusive education experience in 10 provinces and 20 cities in China such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Xinjiang. Questionnaire is filled in the form of voluntary principle and online. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the total dimension of the questionnaire was 0.950, with coefficients for each sub-dimension ranging from 0.916 to 0.981. The Mplus8.3 software was used to carry out confirmatory factor analysis on the four-factor model. The standardized load of the four sub-dimensions was between 0.88 and 0.95. The load reached the significant level of 0.01, the interpretation rate presents a medium and high level (the interpretation rate is greater than 70%), and the model fits well. Therefore, based on good reliability and validity, this questionnaire can be used to evaluate the activity participation of children with disabilities in preschool inclusive education.

Participation in Play and Leisure Activities of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Children in Taiwan: A Preliminary Study

Participation in enjoyable activities is essential for the health and development of young children with and without disabilities. For preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is limited knowledge regarding their participation in play, learning, recreation, and social activities. This was a preliminary study that compares the participation between children 2–6 years of age with ASD (n = 25) and age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) (n = 25) children. The Chinese version of the Assessment of Preschool Children’s Participation (APCP-C) measures participation in play, skill development, active physical recreation, and social activities. Parents of the children in this study completed the APCP-C by structured interview. The results showed that children with ASD had lower participation diversity and intensity than TD children in play activities. A lower percentage of children participating in individual activity was found for children with ASD than TD children in most APCP-C activities. Professionals that serve young children with special needs are encouraged to partner with parents to provide playful and socially enhancing activities for preschool children with ASD.

Physical Activity and Motor Performance: A Comparison Between Young Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

PURPOSE

This study aims to examine the differences in physical activity and motor performance between young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and children with typical development (TD) and to investigate the relationships between the levels of physical activity and motor performance.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty-five children with ASD (mean age = 59.3 ± 8.1 months) and 28 children with TD (mean age = 63.1 ± 8.6 months) were recruited. The Actigraph accelerometer, Movement Assessment Battery for Children-second edition, and Assessment of Preschool Children's Participation were used.

RESULTS

Young children with ASD spent significantly less time in moderate and light physical activity and exhibited more sedentary behavior than did children with TD. Those children with ASD also had greater motor difficulties and engaged less frequently in physical recreation activities compared to their TD peers. Motor performance was significantly correlated with physical activity in all children.

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted the specificity of the levels of physical activity, motor difficulties, and participation diversity in children with ASD comparing performances on children with TD. Additional research is needed to provide valuable information for early interventions.

A Systematic Review on Clinimetric Properties of Play Instruments for Occupational Therapy Practice

Play is considered the main occupation for children. Pediatric occupational therapists utilize play either for evaluation or intervention purpose. However, play is not properly measured by occupational therapists, and the use of play instrument is limited. This systematic review was aimed at identifying play instruments relevant to occupational therapy practice and its clinimetric properties. A systematic search was conducted on six databases (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioral Science Collection, Scopus, and ASEAN Citation Index) in January 2020. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using Law and MacDermid's Appraisal for Clinical Measurement Research Reports, and psychometric properties of play instruments were evaluated using Terwee's checklist while the clinical utility is extracted from each instrument. Initial search identifies 1,098 articles, and only 30 articles were included in the final analysis, extracting 8 play instruments. These instruments were predominantly practiced in the Western culture, which consists of several psychometric evidences. The Revised Knox Preschool Play Scale is considered the most extensive and comprehensive play instrument for extrinsic aspect, whereas the Test of Playfulness + Test of Environmental Supportiveness Unifying Measure is a promising play instrument for intrinsic aspect on play, where both instruments utilize observation. My Child's Play is a potential questionnaire-based play instrument. However, the current development of play instruments in the occupational therapy field is immature and constantly evolving, and occupational therapists should exercise good clinical reasoning when selecting a play instrument to use in practice.

A Chinese version of the young children's participation and environment measure: psychometric evaluation in a Hong Kong sample

PURPOSE

To investigate the psychometric properties of a Chinese-translated version of the Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure was translated into Chinese using cultural adaptation by adding/replacing with activities relevant to Chinese culture. Parents of 53 children aged 2-5 years with developmental disabilities and of 50 typical developing children completed the questionnaires. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, known-group validity, and discriminant validity were examined using Cronbach's alpha, intraclass correlation coefficient, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficients respectively.

RESULTS

Internal consistency was acceptable for most scales (α = 0.42-0.89). Test-retest reliability of the summary scores was moderate to high for all scales (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.65-0.90). Known-group validity was supported by demonstrating significant differences by disability status in all community participation scales, two daycare/preschool participation scales, and one home participation scale. Low or negative correlations between the scores of some scales and children's cognition (ρ = 0.27-0.32; -0.36-to-0.35) and parental stress (ρ = -0.42-to-0.31) supported discriminant validity.

CONCLUSION

This study provided psychometric evidence supporting the use of the Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure to assess Chinese children's participation and environmental support.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure is translated into Chinese using a cultural adaptation process.The Chinese version of the Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure demonstrates evidence for internal consistency, test-retest reliability (including the minimal detectable change).The Chinese version of the Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure demonstrates evidence for known-group validity and discriminant validity.The Chinese version of the Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure holds promise for use in children aged 2-5 years to assess their participation and identify environmental barriers warranting intervention.

Child and family factors that predict participation attendance in daily activities of toddlers with global developmental delay

PURPOSES

Enhancing children's daily participation is the optimal goal of early childhood intervention. This study aimed to identify child and family predictors of participation for toddlers with global developmental delay.

METHODS

Fifty-nine toddlers with global developmental delay (aged 24-43 months) and their mothers participated in a 6-month longitudinal study. Predictors for participation were child factors [age, gender, delay severity, mastery motivation (perceived persistence and task persistence), and withdrawal behavior], and family factors (socioeconomic status, family income, maternal education, stress, and maternal teaching behavior). Dependent variables were participation diversity and intensity of four activity types measured 6-month later using the Assessment of Preschool Children's Participation (Chinese version). Correlation and hierarchical regression statistical methods were used.

RESULTS

Older children with higher persistence had higher overall participation. Different factors predicted different participation dimensions and different activity types. Older age, higher perceived persistence, and being less withdrawn predicted higher diversity and intensity for play participation. For skill development participation, older age, less severity, higher mastery motivation, and better maternal teaching behaviors predicted higher diversity; and age, mastery motivation and maternal teaching predicted intensity.

CONCLUSIONS

Different factors predict participation attendance differently. Supporting parents to enhance toddlers' mastery motivation may optimize children's participation in daily activities.Implications for rehabilitationBased on the child and their caregiver preferences, applicability and/or engagement for different activity types, interventionists could collaborate further with caregivers to find strategies to increase children's participation attendance in daily life.Interventionists could consult with caregivers: (a) to observe the persistence and positive affect (mastery motivation) of children during different activities, (b) to figure out the possible barriers to participation in those activities, and (c) to demonstrate appropriate caregiver-child interactions.Interventionists are encouraged to support children's mastery motivation and quality of maternal teaching behaviors to enhance participation in daily activities.