Children’s Occupations: Enhancing the Representation of the Paediatric Activity Card Sort

ABSTRACT

The Paediatric Activity Card Sort (PACS) captures children’s occupational repertoires; however, it is based on a small sample. A research was conducted to increase the sample size of the PACS; examine alternative form reliability of the e-PACS; explore the relationships among sex, grade, language spoken, and school attended, and children’s occupational repertoires. Fifty five children completed the e-PACS; seven also completed the paper version. Children reported doing on average 69.4% of the activities, with personal care the highest (89.3%). No significant differences were found among variables and PACS categories. However, children in public school reported doing more hobbies (p = 0.04) than children at catholic school. Some significant differences were found between boys and girls. The e-PACS had strong alternate form reliability with the PACS. Increasing the sample size of the PACS augments its usefulness providing school-based therapists with a tool to capture children’s occupational repertoires, identify potential participation issues and provide effective, individualized interventions that support academic support and overall wellbeing.

Keywords:

• assessment
• occupational repertoire
• occupational therapy
• pediatrics
• participation
• school-age children

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval statement

Health Science Board REB UofT #26952.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.