Parents’ experiences of participation in physical activities for children with cerebral palsy – protecting and pushing towards independence

Parent and Clinician Perspectives on the Participation of Children with Cerebral Palsy in Community-Based Football: A Qualitative Exploration in a Regional Setting

“…Parental worry around the child's experience of failure or rejection by peers and coaches, as well as worry about physical injury were both discussed as barriers to participation. Aligning with the current findings, previous studies have also identified the suitability of physical activities as a key concern for parents of children with CP when making decisions about participation [37]. Previous positive experiences of inclusion of other children in a particular club, for instance, or having an older child enrolled in the club increased the likelihood of parents enrolling their child in the club.…”

“…Clinicians' and parents' reflections on the heterogeneity in the type and severity of physical, cognitive, sensory and communicative impairments in CP populations highlighted the importance of tailoring activities to suit this broad range of abilities. Aligning with this finding, the existing literature suggests that energy levels, fatigue and pain are areas of concern for parents of children with CP when participating in PA [37]. An interest in football was seen to be a core factor in facilitating the child's decision to enrol in the activity, aligning with the notion of preference outlined in the Family of Participation Related Constructs (fPRC) [12].…”

“…Theoretical frameworks such as the F-words framework [44], as well as empirical findings have identified fun and enjoyment as a salient facilitator of participation in children [5]. The involvement of coaches and athletes with a disability were seen to facilitate participation by increasing the child's level of motivation and confidence, a finding also indicated in the study by Lauruschkus, Nordmark and Hallstrom [37].…”

“…The social aspect of participating in community football was found to be a salient facilitator for participation. Echoing many previous studies exploring participation in youth with CP [37,45], both parents and clinicians agreed that the sense of belonging and connection to peers and to the wider community facilitated participation in organised sport for children with CP. Being a community-based activity, this sense of belonging extended beyond playing the sport, to peer relationships on and off the field, for instance, discussing football teams with peers at school.…”

Sustained participation in community-based physical activity by adolescents with cerebral palsy: a qualitative study

“…Facilitators and barriers to participation in physical activity by children and adolescents with cerebral palsy have been reported [11,12,13] and categorised as personal (the adolescent), social (their parents/family/other people), environmental (facilities, attitudes), and policy aspects (access and accommodation) [11,12,14,15,16,17,18,19,20], but often only the perspectives of the adolescents and their parents have been reported [12]. The extent to which these factors contribute to sustained participation in physical activity is not well understood.…”