Disabled children's perceptions of technical aids, assistance and peers in play situations.
The purpose of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of how children with disabilities perceive their technical aids in play situations. Transcribed interviews with eight children with disabilities were analysed according to the constant comparative method of grounded theory described by Glaser & Strauss. Three categories were found in the data, forming a model describing the child's relations in play situations (core category): to technical aids, to assistance and to the play environment. Two of the categories included relations to adults. The children's opportunities to play required that a parent or an assistant be present. Access to the playground also required the assistance of adults. The third category, relation to technical aids, is an individual one, as the technical aids were perceived differently by all the children. The technical aids were also seen as an extension of the child. The implications for parents and service providers are discussed.
Skär
Lisa
L
Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, S-961 36 Boden, Sweden. lisa.skar@hv.luth.se
D001290:Attitude; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D012931:Social Environment; D012938:Social Perception