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Articles 
Golus, Weintraub, Itkin, Ben-Zur Watrou, 2024 – School of Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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Observation of the child’s participation and performance in kindergarten activities
An updated observational tool for assessing the participation and functioning of children with autism in daily activities in the kindergarten setting, providing insights for occupational therapists and educational teams.
01.06.2025
Updated version for children with autism (ASD-SPO).
This observational tool was developed with the aim of assessing children’s participation in daily activities in the kindergarten setting by occupational therapists. The tool is based on several models and observations in occupational therapy. The tool was tested in several studies conducted in Israel among a variety of populations (children with and without disabilities and children from different sectors) and was found to have good psychometric measures.
A current version was also developed and adapted for children with autism (ASD-SPO), in collaboration with the Aluot.
What is unique about the tool and how can it help?
- Provides a response to the existing need in the clinical field among occupational therapists in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team for a systematic and in-depth assessment of participation patterns and environmental factors among preschool children in the educational setting.
- Enables an initial assessment to collect information about children’s participation and identify factors in the preschool environment that support/limit participation, which can serve as a basis for further in-depth assessment of additional components.
- Assists in setting intervention goals focused on participation and functionality in occupational therapy for each child individually and for a group of children.
- Can be used as an outcome measure to assess the effectiveness of an occupational therapy intervention at the end of the intervention period or at the end of the school year.
What does the tool include?
- 35 items that include routine activities carried out in the kindergarten, divided into two parts:
Part A: Assessment of the frequency of participation, degree of involvement, level of performance, degree and type of assistance with respect to each activity.
Part B: Assessment of 18 environmental factors that support and/or limit children’s participation in kindergarten activities. - Two versions that can be selected by the observer and according to the methods of setting goals in the educational framework:
- Version A – The activities are divided into four categories of activities relevant to the educational environment (self-care activities, play, study, and social participation).
- Version B – The activities are divided according to the spaces of the garden (such as: dining tables, toilets, yard, garden corners) and general activities (such as dressing activities and social participation).
Sources:
1. Golos, A., Ben-Zur, H., & Chapani, S. I. (2022). Participation in preschool activities of children with autistic spectrum disorder and comparison to typically developing children. Research in developmental disabilities, 127, 104252.
2. Golos, A., Chapani Itkin, S., & Ben-Zur, H. (2022). The structured preschool participation observation (SPO) for children with ASD: Adaptation, initial psychometric properties, and children’s participation. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 42(2), 198-214.
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