Exploring family recreation activities in families that include children with developmental disabilities

Based on a larger exploratory investigation that employed a mixed method research design, this paper reports the recreation activities of families that included children with developmental disabilities (N = 65). The most popular and frequent forms of family recreation reflected five general categories of activities: 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). Variations in popularity and frequency of these activities were explored in relation to patterns of family involvement and selected sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., employment status, nature of disability). Although variations were evident, family recreation most often included physical recreation activities-commonly swimming, walking, and bicycling. Methodological considerations and practical applications associated with this research are discussed.