Peer-reviewed article

Relationships Between Frequency of Attendance, Engagement and Independence in Everyday Activities Among Children and Youth With Intellectual and Other Developmental Disabilities: The Association With Comprehension Difficulties.

Axelsson AK, Ivarsson M, Ullenhag A · 1 Mar 2026

Abstract

Background Participation (attendance and engagement) is important for children's development and well-being. The aim was to study the relationships between attendance, engagement and independence in everyday activities of children with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and to compare patterns between children with and without comprehension difficulties. Method Participation and independence (FUNDES-Child-SE) were measured in 131 Swedish participants (aged 5-18 years). The analysis included Mann-Whitney U and Spearman's rank correlation tests. Results The group without comprehension difficulties attended with a frequency more similar to typically developing peers, with higher engagement and independence. There were very strong overall attendance-engagement correlations (r = 0.91 for the group with comprehension difficulties and r = 0.87 for the group without) and attendance-independence correlations (r = 0.86 and r = 0.87), as well as a strong correlation between engagement and independence (r = 0.78 and r = 0.77). Conclusions Despite strong overall correlations between dimensions, differences across specific activity items underscore the need for targeted assessment and intervention.