Introduction: Occupational Therapy enables children with cognitive impairments to explore new situations and develop adaptive strategies to satisfy the demands of the environment. This can be achieved through role-play.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate how the use of role-play facilitates changes in the level of competence in children with cognitive impairments during OT interventions.
Methods: During this preliminary cohort study, we recruited participants under the age of 18 and diagnosis of mild to medium cognitive impairment. The setting of the study was the OT service of the AIAS of Monza (Italy). All parents signed an informed consent. Three assessments were carried out using the Pediatric Volitional Questionnaire. In the first evaluation (V1) we observed a generic activity, in the second (V2) we incorporated role-play. The third (V3) was carried out 4 months after the role-play was used during the intervention.
Results: Ten patients were recruited (three males, seven females), six diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and four with moderate. The age range was 10 to 15 years. The evaluation averages measured were: V1 = 2.64; V2 = 3.14; V3 = 3.72. The difference between the first and second evaluations was 0.50 (t = -3.3558; p <0.05), between the second and third it was 0.58 (t = -5.0869; p <0.05).
Conclusions: The ratings demonstrated an increase in the level of competence. Participants exhibited greater engagement in the activities and were more task-oriented. In activities, they trained their skills, attempted to solve problems, and expressed satisfaction when they achieve results.