Abstract

Parents are often concerned about managing risks for their children, particularly in the context of disability. This paper reports qualitative findings from an intervention study and examines how parents of children with developmental disabilities (mainly autism) manage risks during play. Interviews (n = 17) highlighted parents’ fears about their child’s safety, which were often exacerbated by concerns about the child’s (lack of) cognitive and intellectual capabilities to ‘appropriately’ negotiate harms. Outdoor play and play that involved other children were reported as particularly challenging. In these contexts, parents described how they would intervene and redirect play activities to avoid any emergent physical, emotional and social harms. The social aspects of risk and disability gave way to adult-mediated and controlled forms of play. We conclude by considering opportunities to support the full inclusion of children with disabilities and their rights to play.

• Points of Interest

• Play is an important aspect of all children’s health and development

• Children with disabilities often experience fewer opportunities to engage in play

• Parents responses to ‘risk-taking’ in their children’s play help understand the barriers to play for children with a disability

• Social aspects of play are particularly challenging for parents of a child with disability

• Developing socially inclusive contexts is important to enhance all children’s opportunities to play.

摘要

父母经常担心为孩子管理风险，特别是在残疾的情况下。本文报告了一项干预研究的定性结果，并研究了发育障碍（主要是自闭症）儿童的父母如何在游戏中管理风险。采访（n = 17) 强调了父母对孩子安全的担忧，这种担忧往往因担心孩子（缺乏）认知和智力“适当”协商伤害的能力而加剧。据报道，户外游戏和涉及其他儿童的游戏特别具有挑战性。在这些情况下，父母描述了他们将如何干预和重定向游戏活动，以避免任何突发的身体、情感和社会伤害。风险和残疾的社会方面让位于成人介导和控制的游戏形式。最后，我们考虑了支持残疾儿童的充分融入和他们的游戏权利的机会。

• 兴趣点

• 游戏是所有儿童健康和发展的重要方面

• 残疾儿童参与游戏的机会通常较少

• 父母对孩子游戏中“冒险”的反应有助于了解残疾儿童游戏的障碍

• 游戏的社会方面对残疾儿童的父母来说尤其具有挑战性

• 发展具有社会包容性的环境对于增加所有儿童的游戏机会非常重要。