Cleveland Clinic Children's Outcomes

Game Break is a 6-week group focused on the development of age-appropriate leisure participation for children 4-11 years old run by occupational therapists. Research has shown participation in leisure activities can positively impact one's self esteem, social interaction and life satisfaction. The group utilizes board games and other interactive games with the goal of being carried out in the home setting. Pre- and post-assessments were administered using the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment-Mini (DESSA-Mini). The DESSA-Mini screens for and monitors progress in the acquisition of social-emotional competencies.

The graphs below summarize group data for patient performance on the DESSA-Mini. Large improvement indicates a T-score increase of 8 or higher, which indicates the supports/interventions are working well. In 2023 there were 15 participants in the program, 87% of them showed an improvement on the DESSA Mini. Of those 15 participants, 40% have demonstrated a large improvement in their DESSA Mini score.