Hyperactive Behavior and Participation in Social Play in a Swedish Preschool Context : A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract: The present thesis sought to compare participation in social types of play of children with and without hyperactivity in a Swedish preschool context. Based upon observational design of cross-sectional type, this study was built on a secondary analysis of data collected within two previous research projects that were merged into one dataset. A total of 583 children (n = 298 boys) aged 16 to 72 months (M = 52.55, SD = 11.01) were initially included in the sample. Preschool teachers rated children’s behavior difficulties on a hyperactivity scale using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Structured observations of children’s attendance, engagement, verbal interaction, proximity and location during associative and cooperative interaction were conducted across day-long visits by three trained researchers using Children Observation in Pre- school (COP) tool. Conditional probability looping syntaxes were created and Independent sample t-Tests were used to analyze the data. Out of 572 children included in the analysis, n = 60 (10,2%) were rated as having some form of hyperactivity. On the whole, the findings illustrated that the observed averages of attendance and overall engagement in social types of play did not differ significantly between children with and without hyperactivity. However, an in-depth analysis of participation patterns, linked to contextual and environmental factors such as proximity and play location, revealed several considerable differences between the two groups of children. It seems that preschoolers with hyperactive behavior seek social play opportunities as much as their typical behavior peers, but the quality aspects of their experience defined by a specific context and environment may differ further as the interaction develops. Contextual and environmental factors are crucial determinants to take into account when studying participation. Play, operating as a natural booster of self-regulation and engagement may have the potential to serve as a mediating factor accommodating hyperactivity and promoting participation in Early Childhood Education settings.