F-Words in Childhood Disability
What are the F-words in Childhood Disability?
In 2012, Dr. Rosenbaum and Dr. Gorter published a paper titled: "The 'F-words' in Childhood Disability: I swear this is how we should think!" Inspired by over two decades of CanChild research and continual discussion amongst members of the CanChild family, the paper features six F-words that the authors state should be the focus in childhood disability - Function, Family, Fitness, Fun, Friends, and Future.
Function: refers to what people do - how things are done is not what is important; synonyms include ‘role’, ‘job’, ‘task’, etc. (for children, ‘play’ is their ‘work’)
Family: represents the essential ‘environment’ of all children
Fitness: refers to how children stay physically active, including exercise and other recreational opportunities
Fun: includes particular activities children are involved in or enjoy participating in
Friends: refers to the friendships established with peers; social development is an essential aspect of personhood
Future: is what child development is all about; it refers to parents and children's expectations and dreams for their future
The foundation of the F-words...
The F-words build upon the World Health Organizations (WHO's) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. The ICF framework shows how body structure and function, activity, participation, environmental factors and personal factors are interrelated and equally influence our health and functioning. This holistic approach encourages us to focus on factors that are important to all children's development - their participation, activities, and environment. Please click here to learn more about the ICF.
The F-words Focus...
The F-words focus on six key areas of child development. Recognizing that no one factor is more important than another, we hope to encourage people in the childhood disability field to adopt this way of thinking and apply these concepts in their work with children with disabilities and their families.
The F-words Footprint...
Researchers and families are partnering together to spread awareness on the F-words in Childhood Disability. Since September 2011, the F-words paper has been downloaded approximately 6,700 times and presented over 70 times around the world. To learn more about F-words Knowledge Translation (KT) journey, including a list of presentations, posters, news articles, and blogs that have featured the F-words ideas click the button below.
F-words Footprint
The Original F-words Publication (Published in Child: Care, Health & Development, 2011)
The 'F-words' in childhood disability: I swear this is how we should think!
This article was published in Child: Care, Health & Development by Dr. Peter Rosenbaum and Dr. Jan Willem Gorter. For more information or for any questions, you may contact Dr. Rosenbaum or Dr. Gorter.