John Dattilo

Leisure as a coping resource: variations in coping with traumatic injury and illness.

The influence of leisure in coping with negative life events likely derives from its powers to distract, to generate optimism about the future, and to preserve a sense of self in the face of trauma (Kleiber, Hutchinson, & Williams, 2002). While there is recent evidence of leisures role in coping with daily hassles and normative life stressors (e.g., Iwasaki & Mannell, 2000), the nature and extent of leisures utility in coping with a life-altering event, such as a traumatic injury, is not well understood. The purpose of this paper is to examine how individuals used leisure in coping with a traumatic injury or the onset of a chronic illness. Qualitative data from two studies involving people with either a spinal cord injury or chronic illness were used for this analysis. Findings support suggestions from earlier research: leisure served to buffer effects of immediate life circumstances and it sustained their coping efforts in various ways. The authors end by discussing the data in light of recent theoretical propositions about the role of positive affect and meaning in coping.

The Complex and Dynamic Nature of Leisure Experience

Although leisure experience is characterized as being multi-dimensional, transitory and multi-phased, few empirical studies have explored the complexity and dynamics of leisure experiences. The pur...

Evaluating Effects of a Social Story Intervention on a Young Girl with Autism

There has been little evaluation of the effectiveness of social stories. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a social story intervention on the social behaviors of an 8-year-old girl with autism who attended an inclusive second-grade classroom. Several observations were used to establish a baseline level on her inappropriate social interactions that occurred during lunch (e.g., talking or singing to herself, making noises). Following baseline, individualized social stories that addressed her inappropriate social interactions, as well as appropriate alternative behaviors, were introduced to the girl. Although data were somewhat variable, her inappropriate social interactions during lunch decreased by approximately 50% from the first day to the last day of the social story intervention. This study provides insights into the relationship between a social story intervention and social behaviors occurring between a student with autism and her peers.

Leisure Orientations and Self-Esteem in Women with Low Incomes Who Are Overweight.

The view that leisure research has been androcentric has precipitated an increased interest in womens leisure. Likewise, recent concerns about socio-cultural diversity have underscored the importa...

Exploring the Influence of Leisure on Adjustment: Development of the Leisure and Spinal Cord Injury Adjustment Model

While recent studies have demonstrated the significance of leisure in the initial phases of spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation, the impact of leisure experience on adjustment and the dynamics of that influence have yet to be adequately clarified. Development of skills to effectively manage leisure becomes critical in the community reintegration process, especially for those who are at risk for poor social and psychological adjustment after injury. Although leisure activities may contribute to well-being among individuals with SCI, the lack of understanding of the dynamics of that influence offers little direction for selection of activity alternatives and design of leisure interventions. This study attempted to answer the following research questions: (1) Does leisure engagement influence the adjustment of individuals with SCI? (2) If leisure engagement does influence adjustment, what influence do variations in leisure activity have on the adjustment of individuals with SCI? (3) Does social support mediate the influence of leisure on adjustment of individuals with SCI? The leisure and SCI adjustment model was constructed to provide one possible explanation of the influence of leisure on the adjustment of individuals with SCI. The model proposed that: (a) leisure engagement has a direct influence on the adjustment of individuals with SCI and (b) leisure engagement has an indirect influence on adjustment to SCI through the promotion of social support. Results from structural equation modeling confirmed that the leisure and SCI adjustment model was an acceptable fit to data but left a sufficiently large amount of unexplained variance to suggest the need for further examination of alternative models of SCI adjustment. The use of multiple regression and bivariate correlations suggested that diversity, frequency, and intensity of leisure engagement were associated with the adjustment of individuals with SCI.

Exploring the meaning of continuity of recreation activity in the early stages of adjustment for people with spinal cord injury

This study was undertaken to gain insight into how people with spinal cord injury (15 men and 5 women; age range = 17–59, M = 30.2) perceive their return to previously enjoyable activities. An “insiders” perspective (Conrad, 1987) was generated through participant observation and in‐depth interviews, and the data were analyzed with Strausss (1987) constant comparative method. Participants reported actively seeking previous activities and negotiating the meaning of the activities to continue their participation. The subthemes that define the meaning of continuity were (a) seeking continuity as an aspiration of adjustment for future actions, (b) establishing a sense of continuity through approximations to preinjury activities, and (c) accommodating for continuity for the purpose of establishing a sense of continuity. Exploring the nature and importance of continuity in this population suggests a broader discourse and extension to other disruptive life events.

Teaching the response-recode form to adults with mental retardation using AAC systems

To facilitate functional communication for persons with mental retardation, users of augmentative and alternative communication systems should develop skills needed to maintain conversational balance. The response-recode (R-R) linguistic form is an appropriate method for achieving more favorable conversational balance. Therefore, a protocol was developed to efficiently train three adults with mental retardation who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to demonstrate the R-R form. This report highlights clinical procedures used to teach the R-R form effectively and efficiently and examines the permanence of the behavior. Results indicated that each participant learned to use the R-R form in conversation with trained clinicians and continued to use the form 1 and 3 weeks after training.

Students’ Perception of Interactive Learning Modules

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of interactive learning modules (ILMs) developed for use in an undergraduate recreation and leisure studies course. Interpretive analysis of qualitative data using a constant comparative method suggested that some characteristics of the ILMs influenced learning. Data clustered into four overarching categories: (a) contextualized information presented in the ILMs, (b) situated activities provided in the ILMs, (c) learner guidance offered in the ILMs, and (d) technical aspects of the ILMs. Findings of this study have implications for improvement and future development of the ILMs. Further research is encouraged to examine the relationship between characteristics of ILMs and achievements of students.

Opening the door: social skills interventions as a facilitator of social play.

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine approaches that may assist children in improving social skills to increase opportunities for play with others. Since children with or without disabilities may experience social skill deficits, this paper explores viable interventions for children to improve their social skills so they can be effectively proactive and reactive in social play contexts. While play occurs naturally in a variety of social and cultural contexts, children who have social skill deficits are less likely to engage in social play and receive the associated benefits. There is a need for further research on the acquisition of social skills and the effectiveness of social skills interventions with children so that professionals have the tools to enhance the childrens prospects for social play. This paper presents information about leisure education programs designed to support children with social skill deficits and promote social skill development, with approaches ranging from instructor-facilitated to peer-assisted to self-guided.