Recreation and Adults with Down Syndrome: (Down Syndrome Issues & Information)

"Summary" - This book is written to enable the participation of individuals with Down syndrome in recreation activities. It includes information that will help in the planning and implementation of individualised lifestyles. Examples of recreational activities are provided that may contribute to the readers' resources. Activity analysis is described in detail and includes a sample analysis so that the reader can see how to apply the concepts to a recreational activity. Current research knowledge of recreation and adults with Down syndrome may challenge the reader's beliefs about segregated versus integrated activities, what activities are included in recreation, and the value of both passive and active participation. Sport is explored. The contribution of sport to health includes the review of current research. The review of major sporting bodies for persons with intellectual disabilities includes contact information, the role of sport in inclusion, and the risk of sport participation for adults with Down syndrome. The book concludes with suggestions on how to develop plans that will incorporate recreational activities into the lifestyles of adults with Down syndrome.

About the Author :
Beth P. Velde is an assistant dean in the School of Allied Health Sciences and associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She is especially interested in how people construct their lifestyles and the contributions of activities to quality of life. She continues to do qualitative research with her students using the Lifestyle Performance Model as her guiding framework. Her current interests are in the role of activities in friendship for persons with developmental disabilities, the use of social therapy dogs in facilitating occupations for persons who have disabilities, and the wellness of community dwelling elders in Tillery, North Carolina. She shares her life with her husband Frank and two sons. Claudia Emes is a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta. Claudia teaches and conducts research in adapted physical activity (APA). She has written numerous articles in this area along with two book chapters in leading textbooks on APA. Recently she and Beth have written a book on practicum in adapted physical activity. Her current interests also include working with seniors, more specifically resiliency and healthy aging. In her volunteer life, she is a member of the national Board of Directors for Special Olympics Canada and she is also a member of the North American Leadership Council of Special Olympics Inc. In Calgary she is the president of the Board of Directors of the YWCA. She enjoys spending time with her husband and three children.