SPARK: social participation and reintegration for kids with acquired brain injury
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Social participation is a fundamental occupation, playing a critical role in fostering development, building relationships, and promoting overall well-being. Children recovering from acquired brain injury (ABI) are at risk for decreased social participation with long-term consequences. Despite the critical importance of social participation and the prevalence of challenges in this area among children with ABI, these social difficulties often remain insufficiently addressed within this population. This doctoral project identifies factors responsible for this gap, and suggests SPARK as a solution. SPARK: Social Participation and Reintegration for Kids with ABI, is an occupational therapy program designed to enhance the ability of children recovering from ABI to build and maintain meaningful social relationships. The SPARK program, grounded in social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986), is a 12-week group intervention for outpatient clinics. The program features weekly group meetings, individual online sessions, and a parent education group. This doctoral project describes the theoretical and evidence-based foundations of the problem, current approaches, a detailed program proposal, a research plan for evaluation, and strategies for funding and dissemination.
Description
2025