An observation-based instrument to measure what children with disabilities do on the playground: a Rasch analysis

ABSTRACT

The school playground provides a natural context for play observation for children of all abilities. However, play promoters interested in designing and assessing playground interventions are limited by a lack of quantitative observation tools to measure playground play sophistication for groups of children. We used Rasch analysis to evaluate the psychometric properties of a novel iPad application designed to capture observational data on the playground for children with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability. This initial investigation provides strong evidence for construct validity and moderate evidence for reliability. We suggest directions for further measure development and calibration. In conclusion, this observation tool has potential to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of playground play for children of all abilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Outdoor play
• playground
• Rasch
• autism spectrum disorder
• intellectual disability

Acknowledgements

We thank participating schools, families and children. Thanks also to the research interns involved in construct development and data collection. Our gratitude to Troy Baker and Landell Archer for their contributions on the mobile application. Thanks as well to Mike Linacre for his expert advice during data analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Patricia Grady-Dominguez Ph.D. student in Occupation and Rehabilitation Science in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University (CSU).

Anita Bundy Professor and Department Head in the Department of Occupational Therapy at CSU. She also has an appointment in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney.

Jo Ragen Research Affiliate with the University of Sydney.

Shirley Wyver Senior Lecturer in child development at Macquarie University.

Michelle Villeneuve Leads the Disability-Inclusive Community Development work stream at the Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney.

Geraldine Naughton Honorary Professor in Educational Studies, Macquarie University.

Paul Tranter Honorary Associate Professor in Geography at UNSW Canberra.

Aaron Eakman Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy, Director of Research: New Start for Student Veterans Program and Research Scientist in CSU’s Center for Meaning and Purpose.

Susan Hepburn Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at CSU.

Kassia Beetham Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Australian Catholic University.

ORCID

Patricia Grady-Dominguez http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5734-8281

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aaron Eakman http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4294-5286

Susan Hepburn http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8545-3804

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

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council under [grant number DP140101792].