Exploring the after-hours social experiences of youth with disabilities in residential immersive life skills programs: a photo elicitation study.

PURPOSE: This study explored the meaning of the after-hours social experiences of youth with disabilities in a residential life skills program. After-hours experiences occur outside of formal program hours, primarily in the evenings. METHOD: Five youth with cerebral palsy (three females) participated in an exploratory photo elicitation study while attending one of two residential immersive life skills programs. Following an auto-driven photo elicitation method, youth took photos of their choosing and then were interviewed about photos they elected to share. Interview data were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Themes illustrated meaningful social experiences and their benefits. Two themes described the after-hours social experiences of most importance to youth: learning about strengths from working together, and having meaningful individual and group conversations. Three themes reflected benefits reported by youth: learning about differences among people, gaining new perspectives and new knowledge about oneself, and developing friendships and a sense of "family." CONCLUSIONS: The findings illuminate the benefits of after-hours social experiences for youth who may have had little opportunity previously to informally interact with other youth with disabilities. The findings highlight the importance of the immersive, group nature of a residential, away-from-home youth transition program, particularly the value added by the after-hours program component.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe findings support the value of an over-night residential aspect for life skills programs for youth with disabilities.Residential immersive life skills programs provide opportunities for youth to discuss common experiences and shared challenges, leading to the formation of social bonds.Residential immersive life skills programs provide opportunities for youth to interact with peers in the absence of adults, and to make choices about how to use their personal time.It is important to intentionally design transition programs to provide opportunities for after-hours social experiences, including working together and socializing.

Parents' perceptions of the foundational and emergent benefits of residential immersive life skills programs for youth with disabilities.

PURPOSE: To examine parents' views of the benefits of residential immersive life skills programs for youth with disabilities. METHOD: Three- and 12-month post-session interviews were held with ten parents of youth with disabilities who had attended one of three residential immersive life skills programs in one of three years of data collection. A deductive thematic analysis was conducted to describe the types of benefits reported by parents. RESULTS: Parents discussed foundational benefits that were common to youth and more individualized emergent benefits. The foundational benefits included acquisition of life skills, greater awareness of future possibilities, and enhancements to self-confidence. The emergent benefits included greater comfort in new situations, and changes in motivation and initiative, maturity and responsibility, and community involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Parents reported diverse benefits from involvement in these youth transition programs. In the eyes of parents, these programs prepared youth for transition to adult roles by enhancing awareness of life possibilities, amplifying existing capacities, and accelerating growth in adaptability, motivation, and maturity, as well as community involvement. The findings indicate the utility of RILS programs, and can be used to explain the diverse effects of these programs to parents and youth contemplating enrollment.

Intervention strategies in residential immersive life skills programs for youth with disabilities: a study of active ingredients and program fidelity.

Objective: To examine intervention strategy use in residential immersive life skills (RILS) programs. Methods: The Service Provider Strategies-Checklist was used to record the strategies used in 100 activity settings across two summers at three RILS program sites. Activity settings were categorized by activity type and session format. Relative occurrence of the strategies was examined using percentages. Results: Socially mediated strategies (listening, engaging youth) and teaching/learning techniques (verbal cues, verbal instruction) were used in over 75% of the settings. Strategy use was highly contextualized, with different strategy patterns observed for different types of activity settings. Conclusion: The findings suggest that RILS programs be characterized by their use of socially mediated strategies and teaching/learning techniques, with socially mediated and non-intrusive strategies appearing to be program hallmarks. Strategy use was aligned with the types of sessions offered, providing evidence of program fidelity and indicating that RILS programs are complex in their formats, activities, and strategy use.

A feasibility study using solution-focused coaching for health promotion in children and young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a coaching intervention (Solution-Focused Coaching in pediatric rehabilitation [SFC-Peds]) related to physical activity and diet in males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. METHODS: A pre-post design was employed. Participants had five coaching sessions over 8 weeks. The first session was face-to-face, followed by four virtual sessions. Feasibility criteria included recruitment rates, attrition, and intervention fidelity. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) were employed to look at outcome trends. The acceptability was assessed using a survey. RESULTS: Five males (11-19 years) participated. All feasibility criteria were met. Clinically significant increases were observed for GAS and COPM scores. Participants reported SFC-Peds to be acceptable. Broad barriers and facilitators to coaching success were identified. CONCLUSIONS: A SFC-Peds intervention for health promotion is feasible and acceptable in children with DMD and their families. A rigorous efficacy study assessing SFC-Peds intervention is warranted.