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The purpose of the present study was to examine what notions there are among ordinary preschool children and schoolchildren about physically handicapped children using wheelchairs. Forty-eight children-16 children of preschool age (half boys, half girls, aged around 6), 16 children in primary school class 2 (half boys, half girls, aged around 8) and 16 children in class 4 (half boys, half girls, aged around 8)-constituted the investigated group. The method used was a combination of drawings produced by the children themselves serving as a projective image, interview questions in connection with the drawings and a self-assessment scale, based on Osgood's semantic differential technique. The results showed that most children had favourable attitudes towards a child in a wheelchair. They were willing to include the disabled child in their games and recreational activities, and they considered that the disabled child would have many friends and a high self-esteem. However, they saw real obstacles for the disabled child both in play situations and in other environmental settings. No tangible differences between the sexes could be found; however, differences by age were present. The results were discussed with regard to earlier research and topics for further research are suggested.

Background: Inclusive playgrounds aim to enable all children to participate and be socially included on playgrounds through the way they are designed. However, knowledge is lacking about how children with and without disabilities perceive playing on inclusive playgrounds and whether these playgrounds lead to more social inclusion. Aims/Objectives: The study explores the experiences of children, with and without disabilities, of playing on inclusive playgrounds. Material and methods: Semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted on six inclusive playgrounds in Switzerland. Overall, 32 children aged 7-12 years participated; 14 children had a disability while 18 children did not. A qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis. Results: The children's experiences of playing on an inclusive playground resulted in the creation of three categories describing: how children with and without disabilities experience play activities on inclusive playgrounds; invisible barriers on inclusive playgrounds; and the fact that children with disabilities have recommendations for the design of inclusive playgrounds. Conclusions and significance: The results showed that achieving inclusion on a playground is complex and must be considered as a transaction among different environments. For occupational therapists, this could mean that, to support play as an activity on inclusive playgrounds, intervention is necessary at the community and political levels.

Introduction: Play is viewed as an important occupation in childhood and consequently in children's occupational therapy. However, few studies have explored the place of play in therapy practice. This study aimed to contribute to this knowledge gap by exploring play in occupational therapy in three European countries. Method: A cross-sectional survey of occupational therapists in Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland was conducted to examine the use of play with children under 12 years old. A web-based survey was distributed to 935 occupational therapists, resulting in 338 returned surveys (36%). Responses were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results: Results were organised into three themes: (1) demographics and practice context; (2) play education and (3) use of play in practice. Respondents reported that although they valued play as an occupation, their primary focus was on play as a means to achieving other goals. Lack of education on play (research, theory and interventions) and pressures in the workplace were identified as barriers to play-centred practice. Conclusion: Findings indicate that there is a mismatch between therapists valuing play as an occupation and how play is utilised in therapy practice. There is a need to strengthen education and research on play occupation to strengthen play-centred practice.

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