The Engaged Child in Occupational Therapy

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Occupational Therapy
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Child engagement is crucial for optimal outcomes in occupational therapy.
• The specific nature of child engagement from an occupational therapy perspective is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore occupational therapists' perspectives on child engagement.
• To identify factors influencing child engagement in occupational therapy settings.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research using an interpretive description approach.
• Data collected through five focus groups and six individual interviews with 32 occupational therapists.
• Thematic analysis of collected data.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: signs of engagement/disengagement, the importance of feeling safe, a sense of meaning and purpose, and therapist/service factors.
• Therapists utilized strategies such as ensuring safety, providing meaningful activities, and being flexible.
• Identified therapist strategies align with self-determination theory (autonomy, relatedness, competence).

Conclusions:

• Creating a safe and purposeful environment is essential for child engagement.
• Therapist flexibility and responsiveness are key to supporting engagement.
• Occupational therapy practices can be enhanced by understanding and applying principles of self-determination theory to foster child engagement.