Children with Cerebral Palsy Preferences for Adventures and Their Reasons Why

Approximately 1 in 323 children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP). Children with CP are differently abled, 41% of children with CP have limited abilities to crawl, walk, run, or play and up to 31% need special equipment to supplement mobility (Boulet, et al., 2009; CDC, 2015). Hence, children with CP are often less physically active than and have fewer opportunities for socialization with their typically developing peers. In order to engage children with CP in more activities, they need to learn how to adapt different activities to their gross motor ability (CP, 2015). A new intervention is being developed to facilitate learning in this capacity; however, prior to developing the intervention it was important to know what types of “adventures” (activities) the children wished to participate. The purpose of this study was to: 1) ascertain what types of adventures were appealing to children with CP, and 2) what were their reasons for choosing these adventures. After IRB approval, children with CP (N = 100) were approached to be in a 5 minute study addressing the study purposes. After parental/guardian consent and child assent, children were asked to rate their desire to participate in the following adventures:  rock climbing, super powers, hockey, or camping. Reasons for participating in this event were also assessed. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics. Differences in ratings of adventures and reasons by gender (female, male) and age (5 – 10 yrs., 11 yrs. and older) will be assessed through t-tests and non-parametric statistics. Data collection is in progress. The results from this study will be the first of its kind assessing ratings of different types of activities/adventures and reasons why this population wishes to participate in them. Nurses and health professionals can use these findings to understand what types of activities appeal to this group and target health messages around these activities.