Lower parent tolerance of risk in play for children with disability than typically developing children

Becoming an autonomous adult includes understanding consequences associated with risks. The aim of this study was to compare parents of children with and without disability to identify any differences in promoting manageable risk-taking. Data were collected from parents of typically developing children and parents of children with developmental disability. Two groups were matched based on parent and child chronological ages for typically developing children and children with developmental disability. These parents completed the Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale, a 16-item measure of activities adults allow their children to participate in. The total number of tolerated risks was significantly higher for the parents of typically developing children (341[79%]) than the parents of children with developmental disability (247[58%]) (p<0.05). Parents of children with a disability were less tolerant of risk-taking in play than the parents of typically developing children.