Healthy Active Living Children & Youth with Disabilities

1. Healthy Active LivingChildren & Youth with Disabilities Karen Faragher, TVCC Bernadette Garrity, MLHU

2. Overview of Session • Overview • Healthy Living Partnership Middlesex London • Children and Youth with Disabilities • Specific Healthy Living Initiatives • Resources, Links & References

3. What is the Healthy Living Partnership Middlesex London? • Structure of the partnership • Children, Youth and Young Adult Community Action Team • 2006 Taking Action for Healthy Living - OHHP funding opportunity

4. Ministry of Health Promotion Healthy Living Partnership Middlesex-London Healthy Living Coordinating Team Children, Youth Young Adult Community Action Team Women Living Healthy Community Action Team Middlesex-London Resource Community Action Team Worksite Community Action Team Eat Smart Feel Great! Butt Out Be Free! Get Active Your Way!

5. Healthy Living 2006 Campaigns Eat Smart Feel Great! Butt Out Be Free! Get Active Your Way!

6. Children, Youth and Young Adult Community Action Team Our Goal: to promote and support healthy lifestyle choices in children, youth and young adults. • To develop and support strategies that encourage our target population to: • Increase daily physical activity. • Promote healthy food choices. • Decrease incidence of tobacco use/exposure. • These strategies include, but are not limited to, awareness programs, educational resources, skill building opportunities, environmental support and policy.

7. Children, Youth and Young Adult Community Action TeamTeam Members • Thames Valley District School Board • London District School Board • City of London • London YMCA • Thames Valley Children’s Centre • Ontario Early Years Centres Volunteer from Council for Tobacco Free Community Merrymount Children’s Centre MLHU Staff: Family Health Services Dietician, PHNS from Young Adult Team, Child Health Team and CDIP (Chair)

8. Children, Youth and Young Adult Community Action Team Highlights Healthy Active School Award Healthy Eating Champions Award Treasure Boxes Families are Munching Turn Off the Screens Healthy Living Day Challenge of the Heart Balanced Choice

9. 2006 Taking Action for Healthy Living - OHHP funding opportunity

10. One of the partners …Thames Valley Children’s Centre • Is a regional rehabilitation centre serving children and young people with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities and/or communication needs, primarily in southwestern Ontario • Therapeutic Recreation at TVCC • Based on the principles of the Life Needs Model of Service Delivery, all services at TVCC: • Focus on strengths, interests and aspirations • Are provided in a family-centered manner • Intervene on the family and community level

11. Children and Youth with Disabilities … • What do we know? • Children with disabilities tend to be more restricted in … formal and informal leisure activities than their peers and the scope of their activities are limited (Brown & Gordon, 1987) • Compared to children without disabilities, children with disabilities tend to engage in fewer recreation and social activities (Brown & Gordon, 1987) • The participation of children and youth with disabilities decreases as children grow-up so that by adulthood participation is restricted; typically they take part in passive, home-based activities (Brown & Gordon, 1987)

12. What else do we know? (King et al., 2006) • Direct predictors of participation • The child’s functional ability (affected by supportive environments) • Family participation patterns & value of leisure • Child preferences (affected by greater social support) • Indirect predictors of participation • Parent’s perceptions of environmental barriers • Family cohesion (impacts participating together) • Supportive relationships for the child • Family income (affects orientation to activity)

13. What do these findings mean? (King et al., 2006) • Implications for families • Families play a vital role in enabling their children’s participation • Children participate more intensely when families value the activity and when families are more engaged • Families play a key role in supportive relationships • Implications for service providers & policy makers • Children’s functional abilities and activity preferences should be formally assessed and shared with families • Policy interventions are most effective when they address both direct and indirect predictors • Need multi-pronged strategies that are aimed at the child but also family and environmental levels as well

14. The Healthy Living Partnership… What Have We Done? • We have partnered on already existing and very successful programs and added a twist that supports and encourages increased participation of children and youth with disabilities Inclusive Treasure Boxes Adapted Equipment Lending Turn off the Screens Other Spin Offs

15. Inclusive Treasure Boxes • QDPA is equally vital for students with disabilities • Inclusive Treasure Boxes are a resource to support teachers in providing QDPA for all! • Each one contains adapted equipment as well as activity ideas for each piece of equipment

17. Audi Balls Far Out Floater Impact Lightning Ball Roo Scoop Rib It Ball Raz Ball Inclusive Treasure Box Contents Surekatch Ball Grab ball Grabits Slo Mo Ball Success Ball Ballz Eye Pellets N Pebbles Beans N Foam Bumper Grip Play Ball Rhythm Flags Rag Ball Soccer

18. Adapted Equipment Lending Sledge hockey Boccia sets

19. Turn Off The Screens Week • Week long screen-free challenge, with over 50 free activities offered to children and families • Wheelchair Sports event added to the Calendar of Events in 2006 • Offered Wheelchair Basketball and Boccia challenges • Partnership with London Wheelchair Basketball Association, Paralympic Ontario and the City of London

20. Other Spin Offs… Summer Camp Requests Education & Training Additional purchases

21. Community Resources Paralympics Ontario – Ready Willing & Able • 416-426-7426 www.paralympicsontario.ca • erin@paralympicsontario.ca Ontario Wheelchair Sports – Give It a Go! • 416-426-7131 www.ontwheelchairsports.org • btg@ontwheelchairsports.org Get Active Now! • 519-568-708 www.getactivenow.ca • frank@getactivenow.ca Ontario Association of Children’s Rehabilitation Services • www.oacrs.com

22. References • Brown, M., & Gordon, W. (1987). Impact of impairment on activity patterns of children. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 68, 828-832. • King, G., Law, M., Hanna, S., King, S., Hurley, P., Rosenbaum, P., Kertoy, M., Petrenchik, T., (2006). Predictors of the Leisure and Recreation Participation of Children with Physical Disabilities: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis. Children’s Health Care, 35(3), 209-234. • King, G., Law, M., King, S., Rosenbaum, P., Kertoy, M. K., & Young, N. L., (2003). A conceptual model of the factors affecting the recreation and leisure participation of children with disabilities. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 23(1), 63-90. • King, G., Tucker, M.A., Baldwin, P., Lowry, K., LaPorta, J., & Martens, L., (2002). A LifeNeeds Model of pediatric Service Delivery: Services to support community participation and quality of life for children and youth with disabilities. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 22(2), 53-77.

23. Contact Us … Bernadette Garrity Middlesex London Health Unit bernadette.garrity@mlhu.on.ca 519-663-5317 Ext 2413 Karen Faragher Thames Valley Children’s Centre karen.faragher@tvcc.on.ca 519-685-8700 Ext 1-53374