Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
Augment Altern Commun. 2011 Sep;27(3):195-204. doi: 10.3109/07434618.2011.610818.
Social participation becomes particularly important in middle childhood, as it contributes towards the acquisition and development of critical life skills such as developing friendships and a sense of belonging. However, only limited literature is available on the impact of communication difficulties on social participation in middle childhood. This study compared the participation patterns of school-age children with and without physical disabilities and complex communication needs in extracurricular activities. Participants included five children between 6-9 years of age with moderate-severe physical disability and complex communication needs, and five matched peers. Findings showed that children with physical disability and complex communication needs engaged in activities with reduced variety, lower frequency, fewer partners and in limited venues, but reported higher levels of enjoyment and preference for activity participation, than their matched peers. These children also had fewer same-aged friends, but more paid workers in their social circle. This small-scale descriptive study provides some preliminary evidence about the impact of severe communication difficulties on participation and socialization.
社会参与在儿童中期变得尤为重要，因为它有助于获得和发展关键的生活技能，如发展友谊和归属感。然而，关于沟通困难对儿童中期社会参与的影响，只有有限的文献。本研究比较了有和没有身体残疾和复杂沟通需求的学龄儿童在课外活动中的参与模式。参与者包括 5 名年龄在 6-9 岁之间、有中度至重度身体残疾和复杂沟通需求的儿童，以及 5 名匹配的同龄人。研究结果表明，身体残疾和复杂沟通需求的儿童参与的活动种类减少、频率降低、伙伴较少、场所有限，但他们报告的活动参与享受度和偏好度高于匹配的同龄人。这些孩子的同龄朋友也较少，但他们的社交圈中有更多的付费工人。这项小规模描述性研究提供了一些关于严重沟通困难对参与和社会化影响的初步证据。
