Definition
Participation in leisure is an integral part of the human experience. Leisure activities are varied, and participation in leisure is associated with quality of life (QoL) and physical and mental well-being (Potvin et al. 2013). Billstedt et al. (2011) suggested participation in leisure activities as a possible proxy for QoL in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Leisure is defined as time spent on activities that are not for survival, work, or sleep (Zeigler 1965). Recreation is defined as engaging in leisure activities for the purpose of pleasure, education, or satisfaction (Zeigler 1965). Across participation literature, the line between leisure and recreation activities is blurry, and differentiating activities between the two categories is not consistent.
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Ratcliff, K., Hilton, C. (2020). Leisure Participation Patterns for School-Age Youth with Autism. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102337-1
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