Lower parent tolerance of risk in play for children with disability than typically developing children

ABSTRACT

Becoming an autonomous adult includes understanding consequences associated with risks. The aim of this study was to compare parents of children with and without disability to identify any differences in promoting manageable risk-taking. Data were collected from parents of typically developing children and parents of children with developmental disability. Two groups were matched based on parent and child chronological ages for typically developing children and children with developmental disability. These parents completed the Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale, a 16-item measure of activities adults allow their children to participate in. The total number of tolerated risks was significantly higher for the parents of typically developing children (341[79%]) than the parents of children with developmental disability (247[58%]) (p<0.05). Parents of children with a disability were less tolerant of risk-taking in play than the parents of typically developing children.

KEYWORDS:

• Coping
• playground
• special needs
• outdoor
• school
• recess

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Kassia Beetham is a Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Australian Catholic University and is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist. Her research interests are in children's physical activity during play, and the effects of exercise training during pregnancy on maternal and infant outcomes.

Julia Sterman is an Assistant Professor in Occupational Therapy at the University of Minnesota. At the time of this investigation she was a PhD candidate at Australian Catholic University investigating outdoor play decision-making by parents, schools, and local government for primary-school-aged children with disabilities. Julia has a strong interest in collaborating with families and schools to support children's participation and inclusion.

Anita Bundy is Professor and Department Head in Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University. She also has an honorary appointment in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney where she was a full-time professor at the time of this investigation. One of her most important research interests is in promoting manageable risk-taking.

Shirley Wyver is a Senior Lecturer in child development at Macquarie University. She teaches in the early childhood teacher education programme and conducts research in the areas of outdoor play and vision impairment.

Jo Ragen is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney. At the time of this investigation she was also a Research Affiliate with the University of Sydney. Her research interests focus on human rights for diverse populations and the development of all-inclusive environments.

Lina Engelen is a Senior Research Fellow in Public Health at the University of Sydney and Lecturer in Public Health at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Her research interests are in the interaction between physical space and health; and the prevention of non-communicable diseases.

Michelle Villeneuve leads the Disability-Inclusive Community Development work stream at the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. Her programme of research addresses inclusive capacity development using social learning methodologies to impact policy and practice and overcome inequities that people with disability experience in everyday living.

Grace Spencer is a Ruskin Fellow at the Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge and an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Behavioural and Social Sciences in Health at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney. Her research focuses on children and young people's health and health promotion.

Paul Tranter is an Honorary Associate Professor in Geography in the School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences at UNSW Canberra. His research focuses on two critical and related issues: children's play and the dominance of speed and mobility in modern society.

Geraldine Naughton is a paediatric exercise scientist with an interest in pursuing the value of physical activity in the first two decades of life. Her research ranges from promoting activity in refugee families with young children, to understanding the impact of intensive exercise in adolescents.

ORCID

K. S. Beetham http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4657-7668

J. Sterman http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6941-2642

A. C. Bundy http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4743-9144

S. Wyver http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7288-2669

J. Ragen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1489-8435

L. Engelen http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1631-6328

M. Villeneuve http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7468-3527

G. Spencer http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6160-7776

P. Tranter http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6282-0491

G. Naughton http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0534-1627

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Project [grant number DP140101792].