Difference in home participation patterns and environmental factors between Korean children with and without...

To identify the participation patterns of Korean children with and without disabilities at home, and the environmental factors affecting their participation.

The Korean Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth were applied to 184 caregivers of children aged 5 to 13 years in South Korea. To explore home participation patterns and environmental factors at the item level, analysis of covariance, Pearson's chi-square tests, and radar plots were used.

The largest group differences in participation frequency were in "school preparation" and "homework" and those at involvement level were in "indoor play and games," "getting together with other people," "school preparation," and "homework." More caregivers of children with disabilities desired changes in their children's participation in all activities. They also perceived that "physical, cognitive, and social demands of typical home activities," "supplies," and "money" hindered children's home participation.

The findings provide information about how Korean children participated in home-based activities, whether their caregivers desired changes in their participation, and what environmental factors impede their home participation. These can help service providers understand the interaction between participation and environmental factors and offer insight into where their service goals should be focused for the successful participation of children with disabilities at home.Implications for RehabilitationAs children with disabilities spend much time at home, their parents need to consider both how many times their children participate and how much they get involved in home-based activities.Rehabilitation service providers need to focus on whether parents are satisfied with their children's participation in home activities to decide where much effort is needed for meaningfully occupying children's time at home.The goal of rehabilitation services can be to mitigate a poor fit between children's abilities and the demands of activities for successful participation in home activities.Measuring not only the quantity of participation but also the quality of participation is helpful for setting a collaborative goal with parents to improve the participation of children with disabilities at home.