Participation

Enabling Participation provides a key reference work for health and education practitioners who wish to optimise outcomes for children, young people and families where there is an individual with a childhood onset neurodisability. By focusing on participation -- what is it, how to measure it and how to influence it – the book aims to support professionals to utilise the most recent developments in the field.

Written in five parts, the book provides the reader with knowledge about the concept of participation; detailed understanding of how varying contexts influence participation outcomes; how to measure participation as an outcome and as a process; how to intervene to promote participation outcomes; and future directions and challenges. Chapters provide diverse examples of evidence-based practices and are enriched by scenarios and vignettes to engage and challenge the reader to consider how participation in meaningful activities might be optimised for individuals and their families. The book’s practical examples aim to facilitate knowledge transfer, clinical application and service planning for the future.

Christine Imms is a Professor of Occupational Therapy and was the inaugural National Head of School of Allied Health (2011-2018) and co-founding Director of the Centre for Disability and Development Research at the Australian Catholic University. Christine’s clinical experience led to a long-standing interest in understanding the participation outcomes of those with childhood-onset neurodisability. Her research has predominantly involved children and young people with cerebral palsy, and been focused on describing patterns of participation, developing measures and designing and testing interventions. Her research track record includes over 100 peer reviewed publications, more than $11.3million (AUD) in grant income, and supervision of 30 research students.

Dido Green gained extensive clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist specializing in paediatric neurodisability, with an MSc in Clinical Neuroscience and PhD in Motor Learning. Research interests focus on translational medicine emphasizing an ecological approach to understanding challenges to performance and participation in children and young people with neurodisability. Dido has developed child-centred intervention protocols addressing limitations to activity capacity and participatory outcomes.  Several clinical trials have focussed on meaningful outcomes for children and their families. These projects and clinical experience have highlighted the inter-relationship between multiple person, environment and activity factors and need to look beyond diagnostic labels to optimise participatory outcomes. Her research track record includes over 100 peer reviewed publications, more than £5million (GBP) in grant income, and supervision of 15 research students.