Recreational Therapy Assessment

The profession of recreational therapy relies on the ability to plan, implement, and evaluate the services offered to clients. Determining what those services will be requires a complex assessment process in which therapeutic recreation specialists, recreational therapists, and other rehabilitation professionals integrate client assessment with the classification from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). Recreational Therapy Assessment is an evidence-based guide that illustrates best practices in performing those assessments in different settings so the needs of each client can be addressed.

Recreational Therapy Assessment provides direction on how to assess clients in order to determine their specific needs. The first book of its kind structured to facilitate program planning at an individualized level, readers will find assessment protocols for various consumer groups:

• Older adults
• Mental health consumers
• Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• People with physical disabilities
• Those from diverse cultural backgrounds

Of particular value to readers is understanding how the ICF classification system can aid and affirm assessment goals and outcomes, and how practitioners can better integrate their services with those of other members of an interdisciplinary team of providers. The chapters include practical examples, case studies, reflection questions, and learning activities to promote student understanding and assist in the assessment and classification process.

Conducting effective consumer assessments is a vital skill for both current and future professionals in the field of recreational therapy. Recreational Therapy Assessment will prepare readers to perform those assessments to help them plan and implement customized services for a range of clients.

Thomas Skalko, PhD, LRT/CTRS, FDRT, is a professor emeritus in the College of Health and Human Performance at East Carolina University. Skalko earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Georgia and his doctorate from the University of Maryland. Thomas’ background includes direct services in community mental health, inpatient behavioral health, inpatient pediatrics, and primitive therapeutic camping. Thomas is a past president of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) and of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Skalko is also a past chair of the Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE) and of the North Carolina Board of Recreational Therapy Licensure (NCBRTL).

Jerome Singleton, PhD, CTRS, retired in 2018 after 37 years as a professor of recreation and leisure studies in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dalhousie University. He was also cross-appointed to the Schools of Nursing, Sociology and Anthropology, and Business Administration at Dalhousie. He earned his bachelor’s degree in recreation from the University of Waterloo, his master’s degree in recreation from Pennsylvania State University, and his PhD in leisure studies from the University of Maryland. He also completed the academic requirements for a doctorate certificate in gerontology at the University of Maryland.

Singleton was made a fellow of the World Demographic Association in 2006 and was named Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association Professional of the Year in 2007. He was recognized by the Recreation and Leisure Studies program at the University of Waterloo as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2008 and is also the founding member of the Leisure and Aging Research Group, which was established in 2008. Singleton received the Dr. Gonzaga da Gama Memorial Award from the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association in 2011 and was made a fellow of the Academy of Leisure Science by the Society of Park and Recreation Educators in 2011.