Participation and Environment Project

Study participants needed - click here for more details.


Description

The Participation and Environment Project is a research project focused on developing a new measure of participation and environment for children with disabilities. This study is a collaboration between researchers in the United States and Canada. There are 3 phases of this study:

  • The first phase is to develop content for questions and domains or groupings of questions that will best capture participation and environment. This will be achieved by combining research on existing measures with information that is obtained from conducting semi-structured interviews and focus groups with parents and children with disabilities between the ages of 6-16 yrs. Interviews will focus on children's participation in activities across environments such as at home, in school and in the community.
  • In the second phase, item pools will be developed based on this data, be reviewed by experts, cognitively tested and then field tested with caregivers and children with disabilities. 
  • In the third phase, the Participation and Environment Measure - Children and Youth version (PEM-CY) will be refined and then field tested with 600 parents of children and youth across Canada and the United States using a web-based survey.


Research Team

  • Wendy Coster
  • Mary Law
  • Gary Bedell (Co-PIs)
  • Mary Khetani
  • Vasundra Ghanju
  • Martha Cousins
  • Rachel Teplicky


Funders

US Department of Education, National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) (2007-2010).


Outcomes/Measures

Participation


Surveys

Thank you for your interest in the Participation and Environment Project!


If you are a parent of a child 6-16 years old:

  • You can help us by completing the online survey
  • Click here to begin 
  • Enter to win: iPod touch (1 in 100 chance of winning)

 

If you are a service provider who works with parents of children 6-16 years old:

  • You can help us by putting up recruitment posters at your organization or in your community
  • Click here to send an email to our study team

 

For more information, please contact our research coordinator, Rachel Teplicky


Resources

Kids in Context, Boston University, Sargent College

  • Click here to view the project website


Presentations 

Presented at the Gatlinburg Conference on Research & Theory in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities 2009 March 18-20th, New Orleans, Louisiana:

Khetani M, Bedell G, Coster W, Law M (2009). Environmental Influences on the Social Participation of Children with Developmental Disabilities: Parent and Child Perspectives Informing Measurement Development.

Presented at the 2009 AOTA Annual Conference and Expo April 23-26, Houston, Texas:

Bedell G, Khetani M, Coster W, Law M (2009). Developing Measures Of Participation And Environment For Children With Disabilities: Parent Perspectives.