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Leisure Activity Enjoyment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

Enjoyment is a fundamental component of activity participation. This study compared leisure activity enjoyment experienced by typically developing children (TD; n = 64) and those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 67) from age 6 to 13. The TD children enjoyed formal and physical activities significantly more than the children with ASD. Symptom severity was negatively related to enjoyment of overall, formal, physical and social activities. Older children with ASD enjoyed overall, informal, recreational, and self-improvement activities significantly less than younger children, but no differences were seen across TD age groups. Children with ASD enjoyed swimming significantly more than TD children. Understanding patterns of activity enjoyment is useful for being better able to address a child’s motivation to participate in various life activities.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Kate Graver, Mary Catherine Crouch, Lyndsay Wente, Andrea Runzi Lang, Mallory Wheeler, Rachel Holmes Kueker, Patti LaVesser, Sarah Dugan, Alysha Munoz, Ben Olch, Kristin Seefeldt, Caitlin Stockelman, Staphanie Zaepfel, Shannon Gaetke, Betty Schaefer, Cathy Crouch, Valerie Harbolivic, Sonia O’Donnell, Lynda Cordry, Tami Morrissey, Deb Dolan, Nancy Vanderweile Milligan, Jackie Kilburn, Lois Ehrhard, Joan Smith, Tina Kreummel, Nancy Buchholz, Lori Thompson, Marla Johnson, Lou Pruitt, and Kathy List for their assistance with this project. A special thanks goes to the families who participated.

Author Contributions

ME performed certain statistical analyses, participated in the interpretation of the data, and drafted much of the manuscript; CH conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, performed aspects of the measurement, performed certain statistical analyses, participated in the interpretation of the data, and drafted much of the manuscript; DC participated in determining appropriate statistical analyses, participated in interpretation of the data, and edited the manuscript; AK guided statistical analyses; LC, JQ, RK, JJ and NC performed aspects of the measurement, performed certain statistical analyses, and contributed text to the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Occupational Therapy Department, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Megan Eversole

  2. Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Diane M. Collins & Claudia L. Hilton

  3. Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Amol Karmarkar

  4. Occupational Therapy Department, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Lisa Colton

  5. Occupational Therapy Department, Family Service Madison, Bridges Birth to Three, Madison, WI, USA

    Jill Phillips Quinn

  6. Occupational Therapy Department, Physiotherapy Associates, St. Charles, IL, USA

    Rita Karsbaek

  7. Occupational Therapy Department, Therapy Relief, Chesterfield, MO, USA

    Jessica Reinken Johnson

  8. Occupational Therapy Department, PSKids, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Nicolle Patricia Callier

Authors
  1. Megan Eversole
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  2. Diane M. Collins
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  3. Amol Karmarkar
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  4. Lisa Colton
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  5. Jill Phillips Quinn
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  6. Rita Karsbaek
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  7. Jessica Reinken Johnson
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  8. Nicolle Patricia Callier
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  9. Claudia L. Hilton
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claudia L. Hilton.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 6.

Table 6 Activity categories included in the CAPE (King et al. 2004)
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Appendix 2

See Table 7.

Table 7 Formal and informal activity categories included in the CAPE (King et al. 2004)
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Eversole, M., Collins, D.M., Karmarkar, A. et al. Leisure Activity Enjoyment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 10–20 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2529-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2529-z

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