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. 2024 Jun 27:5:1399818.
doi: 10.3389/fresc.2024.1399818. eCollection 2024.

Participation as a means-implications for intervention reasoning

Mats Granlund  1 , Christine Imms  2
Affiliations

Participation as a means-implications for intervention reasoning

Mats Granlund et al. Front Rehabil Sci. .

Abstract

Introduction: The increased focus among researchers and professionals on participation as an explicit intervention outcome has prompted a paradigm shift in both thought and practice. However, much research centers on altering participation outcomes in specific life situations and stages. This discussion paper considers "participation as a means" in pediatric rehabilitation and special education interventions, emphasizing its role in achieving lasting outcomes.

Method: This paper uses a Venn diagram approach to consider relations between three core concepts-participation, intervention, and outcomes-and their intersection. The paper's central theme revolves around the intersection of these concepts, wherein participation serves as a means to achieve enduring participation outcomes within the realms of rehabilitation and special education. The discussion is supported by contemporary empirical work and from literature identified in two recent scoping reviews focusing on the intervention process.

Results: Achieving enduring participation outcomes through participation in the intervention process necessitates creating a learning experience, with children and families actively participating in every step: identifying participation issues, seeking explanations, prioritizing intervention goals, selecting methods, implementing interventions, and evaluating the process and outcomes.

Discussion: This structured approach supports professionals and researchers to foster the skills and capacity required for lasting participation outcomes for children with impairments.

Keywords: children; inclusion; intervention; participation; rehabilitation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author MG declared that he was an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of the structure of the paper, showing three central concepts, participation, intervention and outcomes, and how they intersect. The central “focal point” is the intersection among all three concepts, where participation as means—within rehabilitation—is used to drive enduring participation outcomes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Planning, implementing and evaluating one intervention cycle.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Participation intervention as a process over time. The effect of using “participation as means” within intervention circles is shown as a process over time to build autonomy in solving participation problems.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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