title: An examination of relations between participation, communication and age in children with complex communication needs.
abstract: The aim of this study was to examine variation in the frequency of children's participation in out-of-school activities as a function of speech intelligibility, perceived effectiveness of the child's communication aid, and age. Sixty-nine caregivers of children with complex communication needs provided with communication aids completed a questionnaire survey. Rate of participation was higher for younger than for older children, particularly in recreational activities. Younger children with partial intelligibility participated more frequently in recreational and social activities than both younger children without speech and older children. Results and limitations are discussed within the context of participation research in childhood disability, highlighting the impact of communicative resources and maturation on everyday participation.
authors.affiliation: University College London, London, UK. m.clarke@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Petrides
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lysley
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Price
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010290:Parents; D058992:Social Participation / Q000523:psychology*; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D055815:Young Adult