Parental reports of community activity patterns: a comparison between young children with disabilities and their nondisabled peers

Abstract

The extent and nature of community activities of families of children with disabilities in comparison with their nondisabled peers were examined. Parents of 82 children with disabilities and 132 children without disabilities, ages 2 through 5 years, completed a Demographic Questionnaire, Community Activities Questionnaire (CAQ), and Parent Experience Survey (PES). The CAQ assessed frequency of child participation in age-appropriate community activities, and the PES was a retrospective self-evaluation by parents of the experience of introducing the child to common community settings. Both groups of parents reported highly similar experiences when shopping with their children, although parents of children with disabilities reported more fear and risk associated with public settings. Overall, parents of children with disabilities reported participation in fewer community activities than parents of children without disabilities. This difference was largely accounted for by a lower level of participation by families having children with disabilities in a subset of activities that reflect opportunities for family enrichment.