CHAPTER 3 70 I want to be able to... Children wanted to be able to learn things, do things better longer, (more) independently and/or just like others. With ‘things’, different aspects were mentioned. Sometimes, children talked about specific functions (e.g., being able to stand longer), skills (e.g., learning to dive like a dolphin), tasks (e.g., being able to select a cartoon movie on the computer) or activities (e.g., learning to play a musical instrument or being able to play soccer). Boy (school age): “I want to do a nose manual on my BMX bike. My friends can already do that, but I cannot yet. I can do it on the back wheel, a little bit. But not on the front wheel.” This wants/needs group was related to four themes that children stated in their experience of activities. Two of these themes were solely related to ‘being able to’: children experienced the activities positively when they were able to do it on their own or just because it was fun. The other two themes, related to ‘I do not want to…’, will be presented in the upcoming section. I just like it Some activities that children were able to do were ‘ just fun’ for children. They did not have a specific reason for it; they just experienced it as fun. Boy (school age): “I like taking a bath.” Interviewer: “Why do you like that?” Boy (school age): “Just…. It is just fun.” Because I can do it on my own Activities were experienced positively when children were able to do them on their own. Girl (school age): “I like getting dressed… I really like doing this.” Interviewer: “Why do you like it so much?” Girl (school age): “Because… Because I can do it on my own. I am six years, that is a lot. I like it when I can do things on my own.” ‘Doing it on your own’ linked to the performance themes ‘adaptation of the physical context’ and ‘adaptation of the activity’. The adaptation was accepted because it enabled the child to execute activity. When adaptation did not lead to independence, it was harder for the child to accept. For instance, one child who was advised to use a blind guide stick did not want to do that because it would be used as a signal for others to provide help, instead of making walking outside easier.
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