A Journey of Discovery: Modelling Participation to Enhance Multifunctional Collaboration among Children with Disabilities

Abstract

Children’s participation refers to involvement in interaction with others together with attendance in family and community activities. There is an urgent need to develop actions that promote participation of children with disabilities, but there is still limited understanding of processes that may enable it. This study focuses on how the participants (five parents, two teachers, three therapists) enhance participation of Finnish children with neurological disabilities at school, home, and in the therapy and how participants develop multifunctional collaboration to promote participation. Participants were interviewed five times in group interviews for one year. The data were analysed with a qualitative grounded theory approach. Three central factors enhancing participation were found: factors preparing and building participation and factors promoting participation in action. A participatory multifunctional collaboration model enhancing participation showed that collaboration is built up through a child-centred approach by sharing information and know-how and by transcending adults’ prejudices and fears.