Peer-reviewed article
Caregiver Perceptions of Child Participation in Sensory Friendly Community Events
Kelle K. DeBoth, Madalynn Wendland, OTR L Tyler Bilinovic MOT, OTR L Chelsea Sanford MOT ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how caregivers of children with disabilities viewed a sensory-friendly community event at a children's museum. Caregivers completed surveys after attending the event over a 12-month period. Results showed that caregivers felt their children's participation and engagement were significantly better than other aspects of the event, and that mobility supports worked better than modified sensory activities. The findings suggest that making community spaces accessible can help reduce barriers for children with disabilities.
Key points
- Caregivers perceived child participation as significantly more favorable than other aspects of the event
- Mobility supports were rated significantly more favorably than modified sensory activities
- Only 10 surveys were completed (29% response rate) over the 12-month period
- Positive caregiver perceptions of child engagement in modified environments may decrease participation barriers
- Children with disabilities often have limited opportunities for community participation
Limitations
The study had a very low response rate (10 surveys, 29%) which limits the generalisability of findings. The research relies on caregiver perceptions only and does not measure actual child outcomes or engagement directly.
Abstract
Children with disabilities, such as those with sensory processing differences or motor impairments, often have limited opportunities for community participation. Moreover, the degree to which caregivers perceive community spaces to be accessible and appropriate for their children can be a determining influence. This study evaluated caregiver perceptions of a “sensory friendly” event led by an urban university in partnership with a local children’s museum. Caregivers completed post-event surveys over a 12-month period. A total of 10 surveys (29% response rate) were completed, and questions were combined into a priori categories of interest for comparison. Results indicate that caregivers perceived child participation as significantly more favorable than many other aspects and interactions occurring during the event. In addition, mobility supports were significantly more favorable than modified sensory activities. Findings suggest that positive perceptions of child engagement in a modified community environment can decrease barriers to participation, however more research is warranted.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Sensory-friendly community event with modified sensory activities and mobility supports, led by an urban university in partnership with a children's museum
- Population
- Caregivers of children with sensory processing differences or motor impairments attending a community event
Key finding
Caregivers perceived child participation significantly more favorably than other event aspects