Article Critique #3

Family Recreation Activities that Include Children with Developmental Disabilities

Abigail Evans

Brigham Young University

 Family Recreation Activities that Include Children with Developmental Disabilities

            In this article titled, “Exploring Family Recreation Activities In Families that Include Children with Developmental Disabilities”, it addresses the positive outcomes that can result from performing recreation as a family, particularly with in families that include children with developmental disabilities. Recreation among families is most often performed through: “passive (e.g., watching television), play (e.g., board or video games), physical (e.g., swimming), social (e.g., visiting family and friends), and entertainment/special events (e.g., going to the movies).” (Mactavish & Schleien, 2000) Through these various forms of recreation, families have been able to strengthen their relationships and help their children positively develop.

Strengths of the Article

            This article was interesting to read and very well written. The author used politically correct terms such as “children with developmental disabilities” instead of “developmentally disabled children”. I liked how the article laid out the facts very clearly and was very well organized. The graphs and charts made it visually more interesting and the information clearer.

Weaknesses of the Article

            The article seemed quite repetitive in information. The author would state a fact many times throughout the article, which made it clear but kind of boring. The information given was not necessarily new or exciting for the common reader to read; the article seemed longer than it needed to be.

How this can be Applied

            As a future therapeutic recreation specialist, I can use this information to give to my client’s families. By giving them this information they may take a piece of therapy home with them that they can perform on their own. They will be given the knowledge that just like how recreation is a form of therapy with in our work together, recreation can be used as a family to help strengthen their family and further support the client.

Personal Reaction

            My personal recreation to this article is happiness, learning once again how recreation is truly a great way to perform therapy. I have seen first hand how performing recreation with my family has been a form of therapy for me and how much it has brought us together and taught me a lot of different things. Recreation can have so many positive outcomes to everyone who performs it and there are so many different ways to perform it!

Conclusion

            Recreation with in families will almost always result in positive outcomes such as: greater positive child development and a closer family who knows how to work and play together. As a family you can perform therapy through so many different options- just depending on the specific needs and wants of your family. If your child with a disability is very high functioning then you adapt to that- and same goes for if your child is on the lower end of functioning. With all the different options there should be no excuse why families do not recreate together. Good will come as families go out and learn and grow together, therapy will be performed for all members, with out them even realizing it is happening.

References

Mactavish, J. B., & Schleien, S. J. (2000). Exploring family recreation activities in families that include children with developmental disabilities.