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Activities of daily living experienced through outdoor adventure activities: intentional instruction for individuals with disabilities

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Abstract

It is well known that outdoor adventure has many benefits to individuals’ well-being, socialization, and self-concept. Outdoor adventure programs also have the potential to promote and improve an individuals’ activities of daily living such as dressing, eating, and transferring. The improvement of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) can showcase the successes of any program. In this article, the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach for teaching ADLs will be discussed as it relates to transferring ADLs from the adventure-based program to a person’s daily life. In addition, specific instructional strategies as well as instructional approaches utilizing universal design for learning are provided. The article ends with examples of how to adapt many popular outdoor activities for any participant in your program to ensure the maximum opportunity to work on ADL’s in the outdoor adventure context.

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  1. The State University of New York, Brockport, NY, USA

    Lauren J. Lieberman

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  1. Lauren J. Lieberman
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Correspondence to Lauren J. Lieberman.

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Lieberman, L.J. Activities of daily living experienced through outdoor adventure activities: intentional instruction for individuals with disabilities. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 25, 61–73 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-022-00097-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-022-00097-y

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