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Physical activity participation is widely recognized as a critical component of health and development for children with and without disabilities. Emergent literature reflects a paradigm shift in the conceptualization of childhood physical activity as a multi-dimensional construct, encompassing aspects of physical performance and self-perceived engagement. However, ambiguity remains around how participation as a health construct is integrated into physical activity research. The primary objective of the present mini-review is to critically examine current conceptual and methodological approaches to examining physical activity participation among children with disabilities. We conducted a systematic review of contemporary literature (published between 2000 and 2016). 17 articles met inclusion criteria and their research approach was classified into guiding framework, definition of the key construct, and measurement used. The primary guiding framework was the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. An explicit definition of physical activity participation was absent from all studies. Eight studies (47%) operationalized physical activity and participation as independent constructs. Measurements included traditional performance-based aspects of physical activity (frequency, duration, intensity), and alternative participation measures (subjective perception of involvement, inclusion or enjoyment). 64% of included articles were published in the past two years (2014-2016) indicating a rising interest in the topic of physical activity participation. Drawing from the broader discussion of participation in the literature we offer a working definition of physical activity participation as it pertains to active, health-associated behaviors. Further description of alternative approaches to framing and measuring physical activity participation are offered to support effective assessment of health status among disabled children.

Background: Social mobility is defined as the co-occurrence of self-directed locomotion and direct peer interaction. Social mobility is a product of dynamic child-environment interactions and thus likely to vary across contexts (e.g., classroom, gymnasium and playground). Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in children’s social mobility (1) across contexts by age, and (2) between non-disabled and disabled children. Method: Participants (n = 55 non-disabled and 3 disabled children; Mage = 3.1 years, SD = 1.4) were video-recorded within a university-based early learning center. Children were recorded for 20 minutes in each context: classroom, gymnasium, and playground. A 15-second momentary time sampling method was used to code social mobility, the simultaneous occurrence of self-directed locomotion and direct peer interaction. This variable was calculated as percent time within each context. Results: A planned Friedman’s rank ANOVA (n = 55, stratified by age, indicated that older children (3-5 years old) differed across contexts in their social mobility (χ2 (2) ~ 7.3 – 10.5, p < 0.025), whereas younger children (1-2 years old) were similar across contexts. Social mobility was significantly lower in the classroom compared to the playground and gymnasium (with no difference between the latter contexts) for older children. Visual analysis confirmed that disabled children (n = 3) engaged in substantially less time in social mobility (average 0% - 1%), compared to non-disabled, age-similar peers (2-3 year olds average 1% -12%) across all contexts. Conclusion: A substantial gap exists between non-disabled and disabled children for social mobility. There is an increase in magnitude and variability of social mobility around age 3 that suggests the gap between non-disabled and disabled children will continue to widen.