The Benefits of Community-Based Recreational Therapy for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Low Resource Countries and Communities
Open Access
- Author:
- Stump, Allyson
- Area of Honors:
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Krista M Wilkinson, Thesis Supervisor
Carol Anne Miller, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- disability
disabilities
low resource communities
low resource countries
intellectual disability
developmental disability
recreational therapy
community-based
nature assisted therapy
art therapy
dance therapy
performance therapy
music therapy
sports recreation therapy
horticultural therapy
adventure therapy - Abstract:
- This literature review and synthesis has two goals. The first is to discuss the benefits of recreational therapy for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). These benefits can include social, emotional, physical, psychological, behavioral, cognitive and/or communication skills for individuals with IDD. The second goal is to discuss how community- based recreational therapy can be applied specifically to low resource countries and communities, with benefits to individuals with IDD and the community at large. The hypothesis of the thesis is as follows: If community-based recreational therapies are incorporated into low resource countries and communities, then accessibility, availability, affordability, and acceptability for individuals with IDD in these areas will increase and social, emotional, physical, psychological, behavioral, cognitive, and communication skills will improve. Chapter 2 describes five types of recreational therapy: nature-assisted therapy, music therapy, art therapy, dance and performance therapy, and sports recreation therapy. There is an abundance of evidence-base to show that these recreational therapies benefit individuals with IDD. In addition, there are two components that bring about increased success to recreational therapies, specifically in low resource countries and communities: integration and community participation and acceptance. Chapter 3 explains the four barriers to service provision in low resource countries and communities: geographic access, service availability, service affordability, and acceptability. Using these barriers, community-based recreational therapies are proposed as a potential solution to those barriers. This chapter provides examples of successful community-based recreational therapies in low resource countries and communities to validate the claims made. Future research that involves the implementation of a community-based recreational therapy program in a low resource community or country is needed. This research must involve directly working with the community at hand and discussing with the community their thoughts on community-based recreational therapy and how to successfully implement it. Though further research needs to be conducted with the actual implementation of one of these programs, this thesis helps to show the practical implications and promise of this type of intervention in the future for the benefit of individuals with IDD in low resource communities and countries.