It takes a ‘spark’: exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy

Georgina Clutterbuck; Mikaila Gent; Daniel Thomson

doi:10.1016/j.jsampl.2025.100087

It takes a ‘spark’: exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy

Georgina Clutterbuck, Mikaila Gent, Daniel Thomson

School of Health Sciences

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Abstract

Background: Participation in sport improves health and wellbeing, however children with disabilities participate in less physical activity than their peers. Interventions provided by health professionals in real-world sports contexts (i.e., in groups at sports facilities) have been shown to be effective in the short-term, however, long-term effects have not been investigated.

Aims: To explore parents’ perceptions of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention (Sports Stars) for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy.

Methods: Parents of children who attended Sports Stars two to three years earlier participated in interviews exploring intervention experience and ongoing sports participation. Children's pre-intervention sports activity and participation goals were reassessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM).

Results: Fourteen parents participated. All reported that Sports Stars was an effective intervention, with children's increased confidence reported as the most beneficial outcome. Since attending Sports Stars, children participated in a variety of sports, the most common being swimming and soccer. Most parents reported environmental factors as a barrier to ongoing sports participation. Statistically significant improvements in children's relevant sports-focussed activity and participation goals were demonstrated compared to pre-Sports Stars (COPM activity performance mean improvement (MI) = 3.94, p = 0.004, participation performance MI = 4.88, p < 0.001). When compared to post-Sports Stars, children maintained, or further improved, ratings of performance and satisfaction at 2–3 years follow-up.

Conclusions: Parents of ambulant children who participated in a short term, practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention perceived that Sports Stars was the catalyst for subsequent changes to their children's long-term sports participation.

Original language	English
Article number	100087
Number of pages	10
Journal	JSAMS Plus
Volume	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsampl.2025.100087
Publication status	Published - Jun 2025

Keywords

Cerebral palsy
Children
Disability
Follow up
Participation
Sport

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@article{898d4e8887af48f6862e7e0bc1fdba9e,

title = "It takes a {\textquoteleft}spark{\textquoteright}: exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy",

abstract = "Background: Participation in sport improves health and wellbeing, however children with disabilities participate in less physical activity than their peers. Interventions provided by health professionals in real-world sports contexts (i.e., in groups at sports facilities) have been shown to be effective in the short-term, however, long-term effects have not been investigated.Aims: To explore parents{\textquoteright} perceptions of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention (Sports Stars) for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy.Methods: Parents of children who attended Sports Stars two to three years earlier participated in interviews exploring intervention experience and ongoing sports participation. Children's pre-intervention sports activity and participation goals were reassessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM).Results: Fourteen parents participated. All reported that Sports Stars was an effective intervention, with children's increased confidence reported as the most beneficial outcome. Since attending Sports Stars, children participated in a variety of sports, the most common being swimming and soccer. Most parents reported environmental factors as a barrier to ongoing sports participation. Statistically significant improvements in children's relevant sports-focussed activity and participation goals were demonstrated compared to pre-Sports Stars (COPM activity performance mean improvement (MI) = 3.94, p = 0.004, participation performance MI = 4.88, p < 0.001). When compared to post-Sports Stars, children maintained, or further improved, ratings of performance and satisfaction at 2–3 years follow-up.Conclusions: Parents of ambulant children who participated in a short term, practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention perceived that Sports Stars was the catalyst for subsequent changes to their children's long-term sports participation.",

keywords = "Cerebral palsy, Children, Disability, Follow up, Participation, Sport",

author = "Georgina Clutterbuck and Mikaila Gent and Daniel Thomson",

year = "2025",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1016/j.jsampl.2025.100087",

language = "English",

volume = "5",

journal = "JSAMS Plus",

issn = "2772-6967",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

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T1 - It takes a ‘spark’: exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy

AU - Clutterbuck, Georgina

AU - Gent, Mikaila

AU - Thomson, Daniel

PY - 2025/6

Y1 - 2025/6

N2 - Background: Participation in sport improves health and wellbeing, however children with disabilities participate in less physical activity than their peers. Interventions provided by health professionals in real-world sports contexts (i.e., in groups at sports facilities) have been shown to be effective in the short-term, however, long-term effects have not been investigated.Aims: To explore parents’ perceptions of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention (Sports Stars) for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy.Methods: Parents of children who attended Sports Stars two to three years earlier participated in interviews exploring intervention experience and ongoing sports participation. Children's pre-intervention sports activity and participation goals were reassessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM).Results: Fourteen parents participated. All reported that Sports Stars was an effective intervention, with children's increased confidence reported as the most beneficial outcome. Since attending Sports Stars, children participated in a variety of sports, the most common being swimming and soccer. Most parents reported environmental factors as a barrier to ongoing sports participation. Statistically significant improvements in children's relevant sports-focussed activity and participation goals were demonstrated compared to pre-Sports Stars (COPM activity performance mean improvement (MI) = 3.94, p = 0.004, participation performance MI = 4.88, p < 0.001). When compared to post-Sports Stars, children maintained, or further improved, ratings of performance and satisfaction at 2–3 years follow-up.Conclusions: Parents of ambulant children who participated in a short term, practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention perceived that Sports Stars was the catalyst for subsequent changes to their children's long-term sports participation.

AB - Background: Participation in sport improves health and wellbeing, however children with disabilities participate in less physical activity than their peers. Interventions provided by health professionals in real-world sports contexts (i.e., in groups at sports facilities) have been shown to be effective in the short-term, however, long-term effects have not been investigated.Aims: To explore parents’ perceptions of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention (Sports Stars) for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy.Methods: Parents of children who attended Sports Stars two to three years earlier participated in interviews exploring intervention experience and ongoing sports participation. Children's pre-intervention sports activity and participation goals were reassessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM).Results: Fourteen parents participated. All reported that Sports Stars was an effective intervention, with children's increased confidence reported as the most beneficial outcome. Since attending Sports Stars, children participated in a variety of sports, the most common being swimming and soccer. Most parents reported environmental factors as a barrier to ongoing sports participation. Statistically significant improvements in children's relevant sports-focussed activity and participation goals were demonstrated compared to pre-Sports Stars (COPM activity performance mean improvement (MI) = 3.94, p = 0.004, participation performance MI = 4.88, p < 0.001). When compared to post-Sports Stars, children maintained, or further improved, ratings of performance and satisfaction at 2–3 years follow-up.Conclusions: Parents of ambulant children who participated in a short term, practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention perceived that Sports Stars was the catalyst for subsequent changes to their children's long-term sports participation.

KW - Cerebral palsy

KW - Children

KW - Disability

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SN - 2772-6967

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JO - JSAMS Plus

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M1 - 100087

ER -

It takes a ‘spark’: exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy

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