The Active Ingredients of Interventions to Facilitate Inclusive Outdoor Play: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aims to identify and map the elements of interventions; referred to as “Active Ingredients”, that actively facilitate inclusive outdoor play for children with disabilities. Inclusive outdoor play ensures that all children, regardless of ability, can participate in outdoor activities, which is essential for their physical, social, and psychological development. Children with disabilities often face barriers, both physical (e.g., inaccessible play spaces) and social (e.g., limited peer interaction), that restrict their opportunities for outdoor play. Paediatric rehabilitation professionals play a key role in supporting inclusive play, but clear guidance on specific interventions is often lacking. The primary objective of this review is to identify Active Ingredients specific components, strategies, or mechanisms within interventions, that enable children with disabilities to participate meaningfully in outdoor play. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of which intervention elements are effective facilitators, under which contexts, and for which populations. The review will include peer-reviewed studies that describe interventions targeting children aged 4–12 years with disabilities. All study designs (qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods) will be considered. A systematic search will be conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, APA PsycINFO, Embase, SportDiscus, and Web of Science. Two independent reviewers will screen studies and extract data using a structured data extraction tool. Extracted data will include participant characteristics, intervention components, contextual factors, outcomes, and details of the Active Ingredients. Findings will be synthesized narratively, and Active Ingredients will be mapped onto the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the F-words for Child Development framework (Functioning, Family, Fitness, Fun, Friends, and Future) to provide a structured interpretation aligned with child-centered developmental outcomes. Expected outcomes: Identification of Active Ingredients that facilitate inclusive outdoor play for children with disabilities. Categorization of these ingredients according to developmental domains (ICF and F-words), allowing paediatric rehabilitation professionals to apply evidence-based strategies in practice. Informing the design of future interventions, tools, and guidelines to improve inclusive outdoor play opportunities across different settings, including schools, playgrounds, community spaces, and home environments. This project contributes to bridging the knowledge gap in inclusive outdoor play interventions, empowering paediatric rehabiliation professionals such as paediatric physical therapists and occupational therapist, and stakeholders to ensure that all children, regardless of ability, can fully experience the benefits of inclusive outdoor play.