Children With Cerebral Palsy’s Experiences With Adaptive Climbing: A Qualitative Study on Parents’ Perspectives

Interest in adaptive sports for children with cerebral palsy (CP) is growing, but current evidence on the benefits and indications for one sport, adaptive climbing, is limited. We sought to describe perceived changes observed by parents of children with CP who participated in adaptive climbing. Parents whose children with CP participated in 5 or more adaptive climbing sessions were eligible to participate and were emailed a recruitment letter and flyer. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, using a moderator guide. Interviews were transcribed and content analyzed, with data grouped into concepts, categories, and themes until data saturation. Ten parents (9 mothers, 1 father) of 10 children with CP (5 girls, 5 boys; ages 7 to 19 years) were interviewed for 15 to 45 minutes each, yielding 4 themes. First, parents perceived that adaptive climbing challenged the children physically (in reach, balance, strength, and head/neck and lower limb motion); second, that it sharpened children’s cognitive skills (in focus, problem-solving, and strategic thinking); third, that it raised children’s confidence (socially, physically, and emotionally); and fourth, that it expanded children’s sense of what they could do (in mastering a challenge, claiming an athletic identity, and participating in a sport like their peers). In this qualitative study, parents described physical, cognitive, and psychosocial benefits of adaptive climbing for their children with CP. These descriptions can be used to inform future studies of children with CP who participate in adaptive climbing.