OBJECTIVE: To explore leisure participation by people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and reasons underlying changes after the trauma. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-six individuals with mild to severe TBI. MAIN MEASURE: Leisure Profile, a semi-structured questionnaire measuring involvement in leisure activities before and after TBI (frequency of activities, degree of interest, and desire to modify one’s leisure […]
Abstract Topics: Social Participation
Effects of depressive symptoms on health behavior practices among older adults with vision loss.
OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the interface between visual impairment and depressive symptoms on health behaviors, self-care, and social participation among adults ages 65 and older. METHOD: The authors analyzed data from the 1997-2004 National Health Interview Survey on visual impairment and depressive symptoms for 49,278 adults ages 65 and older, comparing visually impaired adults (n […]
What are the social consequences of stroke for working-aged adults? A systematic review.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Approximately one fourth of strokes occur in people aged <65 years. UK current policy calls for services that meet the specific needs of working-aged adults with stroke. We aimed to identify the social consequences of stroke in working-aged adults, which might subsequently inform the development and evaluation of services for this group. […]
You can know me now if you listen: sensory, motor, and communication issues in a nonverbal person with autism.
This case report describes an intensive approach to treating autism and provides an intersection between a first-person narrative paired with intervention and outcomes. In-depth conversations between a person with autism and an occupational therapist provide insight into understanding differences and difficulties in sensory processing and regulation, praxis, and communication. Individuals with autism may be intellectually […]
Environmental barriers and supports to the health, function, and participation of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities: report from the State of the Science in Aging with Developmental Disabilities Conference.
BACKGROUND: This article summarizes the proceedings of the Environmental Barriers and Supports to Health, Function and Participation Work Group that was part of the “State of the Science in Aging with Developmental Disabilities: Charting Lifespan Trajectories and Supportive Environments for Healthy Living” symposium. The aim was to provide a research and policy agenda targeting the […]
Evaluating the impact of participatory art projects for people with mental health needs.
Participatory art projects for people with mental health needs typically claim outcomes such as improvements in confidence, self-esteem, social participation and mental health. However, such claims have rarely been subjected to robust outcome research. This paper reports outcomes from a survey of 44 female and 18 male new art project participants attending 22 art projects […]
“I have chosen to live life abundantly”: perceptions of leisure by adults who use augmentative and alternative communication.
An online focus group was used to investigate perceptions of eight adults with cerebral palsy who used AAC systems about their recreation activities and leisure experiences. Six themes emerged from discussions on benefits of leisure and community recreation: improved physical health, enjoyment, improved mental health, increased independence, enhanced social connections, and education of society. Nine […]
Participation following traumatic spinal cord injury: an evidence-based review for research.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: To report an evidence-based review of participation instruments that have been used in spinal cord injury (SCI) clinical practice and research. METHODS: Rehabilitation literature was searched for instruments used by at least 2 independent SCI researchers since 2000. Each instrument was reviewed by 2 committee members. One person reviewed the scale and documented the […]
Health promotion and education: application of the ICF in the US and Canada using an ecological perspective.
Health promotion is an issue comprised of complex and multi-layered concepts that involves a process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health. The aims and applications of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), with its focus on components of functioning, activities and participation, and environmental […]
AAPL guideline for forensic evaluation of psychiatric disabilities: a disability law perspective.
Contemporary disability law takes into account the insight that physical and mental conditions need not be disabling but for the environmental and attitudinal barriers that keep people with disabilities from social participation on a plane of equality with others. The need to use a wheelchair does not disable except for curbs and stairs, and many […]