Patterns of Family Recreation in Families that Include Children with a Developmental Disability

AbstractGrounded in the naturalistic paradigm, the present exploratory study employed survey (n = 65) and interview (n = 16) methods to examine patterns of family recreation in families including children with developmental disabilities. Statistical analyses were conducted on the quantitative data, while a key theme and constant comparative method was used to analyze the qualitative data. Three patterns (all family, sub-unit, and equal combination) were identified as characteristic of the family recreation of the families included in this study. The sub-unit pattern predominated and typically involved mothers in activities with their children with a developmental disability or all of their children. Furthermore, family recreation was family-initiated, informal, and occurred with equal frequency in home and community settings. Variations in patterns of family recreation associated with child (e.g., age, birth order) and family (e.g., income, employment status) specific characteristics were also presented.