title: Participation in Early Childhood Educational Environments for Young Children with and Without Developmental Disabilities and Delays: A Mixed Methods Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This mixed methods study examined: 1) how young children with and without developmental disabilities and delays participate in daycare or preschool activities; 2) similarities and differences in environmental factors impacting daycare or preschool participation; and 3) strategies used by parents who desired a change in their child's participation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were drawn from 129 parents of young children with and without developmental disabilities and delays (mean age = 49.3 months) residing in North America. Summary and item-level group differences based on disability status were assessed for participation and environmental supports to participation. Narrative data on parental strategies were content coded, transformed into numerical counts, and summarized to identify strategies commonly employed by parents to promote their child's participation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Moderate to large disability related group differences in participation and environmental support to participation were found even after controlling for confounding effects of child age, child gender, and family income. Parents commonly described strategies focused on "child care tasks" and "child peer groups," irrespective of the type(s) of change they desired.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study findings suggest that discrepancies in school participation between young children with and without disabilities and delays can be detected and intervened on during the early childhood period.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Occupational Therapy , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , Colorado , USA.
authors.forename: Tanya E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Benjamin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Occupational Therapy , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , Colorado , USA.
authors.forename: Rachel G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Lucas-Thompson
authors.affiliation: b Department of Occupational Therapy Education , University of Kansas , Kansas City , Kansas , USA.
authors.forename: Lauren M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Little
authors.affiliation: a Department of Occupational Therapy , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , Colorado , USA.
authors.forename: Patricia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: a Department of Occupational Therapy , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , Colorado , USA.
authors.forename: Mary A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Khetani
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D012578:Schools, Nursery; D012931:Social Environment; D058992:Social Participation; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Disability; environment; participation; preschooler; strategies