A social-ecological analysis of the self-determination literature

Student-Led Individualized Education Programs: A Gateway to Self-Determination

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of I'm Determined youth leaders with learning disability who have enrolled in higher education within 1 year of graduating high school to better understand if and how their experience participating in the I'm Determined project led to their participation in their Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings.

METHOD

The intent of the narrative inquiry methodology applied to this study was to create a unified story of collective experiences that described or explained the factors leading to participation in their IEP meeting. Although each of the eight narratives is unique to the individual, common themes emerged that were reflected in the literature and consistent across the time continuum of life before and life during participation in I'm Determined.

RESULTS

One experience that was consistent was the importance of participating in and leading their IEP meeting. A narrative timeline led to our findings presented here within a continuum of experiences before and during participation in I'm Determined. We made the decision to present the findings in such a way that highlights common themes specific to IEP participation across moments in time while honoring individual narratives through supportive text from the data. This is a study of people's perceptions of their experiences best told by direct quotes from the participants. The IEP experience is just one component of the self-determination experience.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided insight into the educational experiences of the eight I'm Determined youth leader participants and examined the importance of both their participation in I'm Determined and the development of self-determination skills deemed essential to participate and lead their IEP meeting. Their unique perspective documented in this study served to both inform and push the field forward.

Personal Factors, Living Environments, and Specialized Supports: Their Role in the Self-Determination of People with Intellectual Disability

The self-determination of people with disabilities, and specifically people with intellectual disabilities (ID), is a growing issue due to its relevance in the field of inclusion and human rights. Although research has shown a significant relationship between self-determination and intelligence, other factors also contribute to its development. The purpose of this study was to understand what other variables may be influencing self-determination. Using the scores from 483 adolescents and adults with ID who completed the AUTODDIS scale, we performed inferential and regression analyses to determine the relationships between levels of self-determination, personal variables (sex, age, severity of ID), and contextual variables (living environment, specialized supports). We found that self-determination is affected by the severity of ID, and when this variable is controlled for, greater self-determination is mainly related to receiving occupational support and support for autonomy and independent living. Results also showed that, together with ID severity, occupational and psychoeducational support, as well as support for autonomy and independent living, were also predictors of the level of self-determination. In conclusion, this study confirms the importance of contextual variables in the development of self-determination in people with ID, placing the focus of intervention on social opportunities.

Finding the right fit: what contributes to the successful use of speech generating devices?

Many conditions can lead to a result in communication difficulties in both children and adults. One intervention utilized by rehabilitation professionals to overcome the problem is the use of speech-generating devices. Although the majority of users benefit from these tools, it is reported that roughly one third eventually abandon them. Existing literature suggests a variety of factors that lead to abandonment, yet the phenomenon continues. This study seeks to understand what constitutes successful device use through a qualitative study that examines the experiences of self-reported speech generating device users to identify commonalities to offer practitioners guidance in prescribing these devices. The data from this study resulted in three preliminary themes: 1) match between user and device attributes, 2) presence of communication partner support, 3) value of occupational roles and routines and their motivational benefit for device use.

Parental habitus in promoting self-determination of children with/without intellectual and developmental disabilities in Türkiye

BACKGROUND

Enhancing the self-determination of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is a prominent factor in their daily, community, school, or post-school outcomes. Parental practices play a crucial role in promoting self-determination of children with IDD. Families worldwide engage in parenting practices determined by each family's beliefs and values filtered through cultural experiences related to the place of origin, social structure, and living area.

AIMS

This study investigated the impact of parental habitus as structured within social and cultural capital on family ratings of child self-determination in two distinct regions of Turkey (Türkiye). Our assumption is that the gap in terms of social, economic, and cultural capital between different districts of the same country affects parental habitus in fostering their children's self-determination.

METHOD

Researchers collected information from 232 family members regarding the degree of their children's self-determination in two different geographic areas of Türkiye. We used the American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale - Parent Form (AIR-SDS-PF questionnaire and a socio-demographic form to collect data. We employed the univariate analysis (two-way ANOVA) to identify the main and interactional effect among variables.

RESULTS

Parental habitus depending on where families live, socioeconomic level, and child's disability status was influential in promoting self-determination for their children with IDD and counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS

Regional or micro-cultural differences impacting parental dispositions should be considered in developing or planning self-determination interventions for children with/without IDD in the same country.

Characterizing physical trauma in children and youth with special health care needs

BACKGROUND

Children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) have or are at an increased risk for a chronic condition necessitating medical and related services beyond what children usually require. While evidence suggests that CYSHCN are at an increased risk of injury, little is known about this population within the trauma system. This study describes CYSHCN within the pediatric trauma system and examines patterns of injury risk (i.e., intent, place of injury, trauma type, and mechanism of injury) based on special health care need (SHCN) status.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional study, we used data from the 2018 National Trauma Data Bank to identify pediatric encounters (1-18 years, N = 115,578) and compare demographics (sex, race/ethnicity, insurance status, and age) by CYSHCN status using χ 2 and t tests. Children and youth with special health care needs encounters were compared with non-SHCN encounters using multinomial logistic regression models, controlling for demographics.

RESULTS

Overall, 16.7% pediatric encounters reported an SHCN. Children and youth with special health care needs encounters are older, and a higher proportion is publicly insured than non-SHCN encounters ( p < 0.001). Furthermore, CYSHCN encounters have a higher risk of assault (relative risk, 1.331) and self-inflicted (relative risk, 4.208) injuries relative to unintentional injury ( p < 0.001), as well as a higher relative risk of traumatic injury occurring in a private residence ( p < 0.01) than other locations such as school (relative risk, 0.894). Younger CYSHCN encounters have a higher risk of assault relative to unintentional injury when compared with non-SHCN encounters ( p < 0.01). Pediatric trauma encounters reporting mental health and alcohol/substance use disorder SHCN have a higher probability of self-inflicted and assault injuries than non-SHCN encounters ( p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that CYSHCN have different traumatic injury patterns than their non-SHCN peers, particularly in terms of intentional and private residence injury, and deserve a special focus for traumatic injury prevention.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic/epidemiologic, level III.

Events Across the Life Course Contribute to Higher Mobility Impairment Rates in Rural U.S

Purpose

This paper investigates how life events such as injuries, health insurance coverage, geography, and occupation contribute to mobility disability rates over time. Findings can inform policies and practices to address factors that may contribute to disability in rural and urban areas.

Methods

We utilized 27 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data from 1979 to 2016 to explore how past injury, occupation, health insurance coverage, and rurality predicted mobility impairment at ages 40 and 50 using regression analysis.

Findings

Rural respondents reported significantly higher rates of mobility impairment at age 40 and age 50 relative to people living in urban areas, and were more likely to report injury, work in high exertion occupations, and experience several pain-related health conditions. Using logistic regression and controlling for race and education, we found that people had higher odds of experiencing mobility impairment at age 40 if they reported a broken bone in the last 10 years, reported ever being knocked unconscious, had any workplace injury from 1988 to 2000, or lived in a rural area. People reported lower odds of mobility impairment if they had more consistent health insurance coverage over time. Further analysis showed that people consistently uninsured over time were 91% more likely to report mobility impairment at age 40 than those consistently insured.

Conclusion

A better understanding of environmental factors associated with disability such as access to insurance, risk exposures, resources, and other place-based behaviors can inform additional strategies for reducing the severity and duration of mobility disability.

Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Group-Based Self-Determination Enhancement Intervention for Adults with Mild Intellectual Disability and Their Caregivers

Self-determination is regarded as an adult outcome for people with an intellectual disability (ID). However, self-determination curricula are rarely available in Hong Kong. This paper outlines a protocol for an experimental study that examines the effectiveness of a group-based self-determination enhancement intervention for adults with mild ID and their caregivers. A randomized controlled trial with pre-test, post-test and three-month follow-up is proposed. A total of 120 participants will be randomly assigned to three conditions: self-determination enhancement group, self-determination enhancement PLUS group (with caregivers in a parallel group) and leisure activity group as a control condition. Five groups will be organized for each of the three conditions. There will be 10 sessions per group covering the core components of self-determination including self-knowledge, goal setting and attaining goals, self-regulating and adjusting plans. Components for caregivers include understanding how self-determination and REACH responding skills can support their children to exercise self-determination through positive interaction. Self-determination competencies and personal well-being will be measured at three points in time. The proposed study is the first evidence-based local study aimed at examining a culturally tailored self-determination enhancement intervention for people with ID and fills a research gap in existing interventions. If the intervention is demonstrated to be effective, it will provide new knowledge for a group-based intervention and will be used with Chinese-speaking people with ID in different parts of the world. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05167929).

Advancing the Personalization of Assessment and Intervention in Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults by Targeting Self-Determination and Executive Processes

As autistic adolescents and young adults navigate the transition to adulthood, there is a need to partner with them to identify strengths and needed supports to enable goal-directed actions. This article conceptually integrates research on self-determination, defined by Causal Agency Theory, and executive processes in autism to provide direction for future research and practice. We describe how integrating research on self-determination and executive processes could enable autistic adolescents and young adults to be engaged in the process of assessing executive processes and self-determination. We discuss how this can better inform personalization of supports for self-determination interventions by focusing on support needs related to executive processes, including inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, from a strengths-based perspective. We discuss how this can enable self-determination interventions that promote outcomes aligned with the values of the autistic community.

Self-Determination Competencies, (Dis)Agreement in Decision-Making, and Personal Well-Being of Adults with Mild Intellectual Disabilities in Hong Kong

Background: The self-determination of people with an intellectual disability (ID) in the contexts of adulthood and Chinese culture is under-examined in the field of ID, even though the concept of self-determination has vigorously developed in recent decades. This study examined the relationship between self-determination competencies and the personal well-being of adults with mild ID in Hong Kong, as well as their personal goals and decision-making (dis)agreements with their significant others. Methods: We interviewed 170 participants using the AIR Self-Determination Scale—Chinese Version (AIR SDS-C) and the Personal Well-Being—Intellectual Disability (Cantonese) (PWI-C), along with a self-constructed questionnaire. Results: When the demographic characteristics were controlled, self-determination competencies correlated positively with personal well-being (r = 0.313, p < 0.001), diverse personal goals were identified, and agreement with significant others was dominant in both daily and major decision-making. Conclusions: A positive correlation between self-determination and personal well-being was confirmed in a Chinese population with mild ID. These findings expand the understanding of the types of personal goals and agreement patterns of people with mild ID and yield implications for further research and practices.

Self-determination in Male Children with Intellectual Disabilities: Perceptions of Parents from Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Self-determination is essential for improving the quality of life of individuals with disabilities. Prior research has indicated that parents' values and practices are important in supporting the development of self-determination in their children.

AIM

The purpose of the study was to examine Saudi Arabian parents' values and perceptions regarding the importance, performance, and provision of self-determination opportunities to their high school male children with and without intellectual disability.

METHODS

The participants were 133 parents of high school children (76 parents of a child without disabilities and 57 parents of a child with intellectual disabilities, accounting for 57.1% and 42.8%, respectively). Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests were used to understand parents' perceptions of and behaviors related to self-determination.

RESULTS

The results revealed no significant difference in the ratings of the importance of self-determination between the two groups of parents. Parents of children with intellectual disabilities rated their child's self-determination performance lower and provided fewer opportunities to improve their children's self-determination.

CONCLUSION

The results suggested that self-determination skills were valued in Saudi Arabia, highlighting that disability may affect the performance and opportunities to practice self-determination.

A systematic review of self-determination interventions for children and youth with disabilities

PURPOSE

Developing self-determination skills is an important component of youth's maturation. However, many youths with disabilities lack opportunities to engage in activities that can promote these skills. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of self-determination interventions for children and youth with disabilities.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed on seven international databases that identified 28 studies meeting our inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Among the 28 studies, 5184 youth with disabilities (aged 9-29, mean age 16.8 years) were represented across three countries. The interventions varied in duration, length, number of sessions, and delivery format, which included curriculum-based, workshops, experiential or residential learning, peer coaching and mentoring, self-directed individual learning, computer games, and multi-component designs. 19/28 studies reported a significant improvement in self-determination. Of these 13/18 studies showed improvements as measured by Arc's self-determination scale, while 8/13 studies reported a significant improvement as measured by AIR self-determination scale. Other significant differences were reported in vocational skills self-efficacy and self-determination inventory.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight that there are several types of interventions that have the potential to improve self-determination for youth with disabilities. Further research is needed to understand what program components could help youth to obtain optimal outcomes.Implications for RehabilitationSeveral types of interventions (school-based, community, online) have potential to influence self-determination for youth with disabilities.Clinicians and educators should consider having multiple components including workshops, one-to-one and group-based learning, mentoring and coaching for optimal program outcomes.Interventions that are targeted to enhance self-determination for youth with disabilities should be theoretically informed and use a validated measure to assess their effectiveness.

Searching for a dynamic equilibrium in decision making: the voices of adults with mild intellectual disability and their significant others in Hong Kong

PURPOSE

The self-determination of people with intellectual disability (ID) is influenced by their interpersonal environment. This study set out to understand better the experience of Hong Kong adults with mild ID in exercising self-determination and to explore the relational and contextual dynamics of how they make decisions in conjunction with parents and paid carers.

METHOD

A qualitative study was conducted using focus groups for data collection. In total, 32 participants including people with mild ID, parents and rehabilitation personnel were recruited using purposive sampling. Five focus group discussions took place and the data were analysed using a thematic approach.

RESULTS

Our findings highlight a continuum of autonomy in decision making in which participants with mild ID exercise different levels of autonomy in different contexts. In the triangular relationship with parents and rehabilitation personnel, all three parties are simultaneously looking to establish a dynamic equilibrium in decision making.

CONCLUSIONS

The study enriches our understanding of the relational and contextual considerations for people with ID in decision making. They may have their own priorities for all the decisions they make, but these involve a dynamic interaction between all three parties.Implications for RehabilitationThe search for dynamic equilibrium in decision-making is a new finding in studies of the self-determination of people with intellectual disability (ID).The findings embed the considerations of the roles of autonomy and relatedness in the self-determination of people with ID at the intrapersonal level.The findings highlight the importance of understanding the relational concerns people with ID have about those they respect while fostering their self-determination.It is also important to address the dynamic interactions among adults with ID, parents and rehabilitation personnel, and the efforts others make in facilitating the self-determination of people with ID.

Self-Determination Assessment in Adults With and Without Intellectual Disability

This article analyzes the reliability and factor structure of the Self-Determination Inventory: Adult Report (SDI:AR) in adults with and without intellectual disability. There is a critical need for contemporary assessment tools given the emphasis on self-determination outcomes in disability supports and services. The findings suggest that the same set of items can be used across adults with and without intellectual disability. However, there are significant differences in overall self-determination across adults with and without intellectual disability, with adults with intellectual disability scoring lower on the SDI:AR. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Exploring health and wellness among Native American adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their family caregivers

BACKGROUND

Adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) experience health inequities, and those who also identify as a member of an ethnic minority group face additional health inequities. In the United States, a majority of adults with IDD continue to be supported by family caregivers making their health equity also important. The purpose of this study was to explore how Native American adults with IDD and their family caregivers experience health and wellness.

METHOD

This community-engaged research was guided by a Community Advisory Board (CAB) with study participants completing a Photovoice project.

RESULTS

Participants identified individual, family and community level influences on health and wellness including the importance of participation in meaningful activities and connection to culture.

CONCLUSIONS

In order to address health inequities, more research is needed to understand health and wellness from the unique perspectives of individuals with IDD and those from racial and ethnic minority groups.

Partnership with social care professionals as a context for promoting self-determination among people with intellectual disabilities

BACKGROUND

People with intellectual disabilities who live in residential facilities may need social support to express self determination. Relationships with social care professionals provide an important context for promoting self-determination. Adopting a socioecological perspective, our study aimed to better understand the nature of these relationships.

METHOD

Over a period of ten months, we held 13 focus group discussions with a total of 20 participants, including both residents and staff at facilities for people with intellectual disabilities. Using transcripts of these discussions, we analysed expressions of self-determination among people with intellectual disabilities and the responses of social care professionals.

RESULTS

Our results highlight the importance of relational adjustment in fostering self-determination among people with intellectual disabilities and underline the importance of respective roles within relationships between people with intellectual disabilities and social care professionals.

CONCLUSION

The partnership between people with intellectual disabilities and professionals seems to be the most effective type of relationship in order to support the self-determination of people with intellectual disabilities. This paper provides a fresh perspective on the role played by people with intellectual disabilities in their relationships with social care professionals. By engaging people with intellectual disabilities as partners in fostering self-determination, social care professionals can encourage social participation and feelings of empowerment. Relationships based on partnership offer people with intellectual disabilities a form of hetero-regulation that can help them overcome challenges to behaving in a fully self-determined way. However, partnership also requires changes in professional practices and attitudes.

The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction and Students With Extensive Support Needs in Inclusive Settings

There is a strong link between the development of skills associated with self-determination (i.e., choice-making, decision-making, problem solving, goal setting and attainment, planning, self-management, self-advocacy, self-awareness, and self-knowledge) and positive school (e.g., academic achievement) and postschool (e.g., employment, community access) outcomes. In this article, we advocate for an examination of research related to the impact, usability, and cultural sustainability of an evidence-based intervention intended to enable students to enhance skills associated with self-determination, the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI), when used to support students with extensive support needs, including students with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). Theoretical foundations of the construct of self-determination and its applicability for all people and extant research on implementation of the SDLMI and students with extensive support needs are presented. Implications for researchers are addressed, including the impact, usability, and cultural sustainability of the SDLMI for students with extensive support needs, and the potential of the SDLMI to support all students in inclusive settings when implemented as a universal support.

The experience of mothers supporting self-determination of adult sons and daughters with intellectual disability

BACKGROUND

The right of people with disability to be self-determining, to live a life of their choosing, is increasingly recognized and promoted. For adults with intellectual disability, support to enable self-determination may be required. This is often provided by family, yet little is understood about the experience of providing such support.

METHODS

An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of eight individual, semi-structured interviews with mothers was conducted, to understand the meaning given to their experience of supporting self-determination of their adult son or daughter with intellectual disability.

RESULTS

Three superordinate themes were identified: (a) support context; (b) continuum of support roles; and (c) mother's personal concerns.

CONCLUSION

Mothers of adults with intellectual disability experience an ongoing sense of responsibility to balance competing rights and concerns as they support self-determination. This complex, interdependent relationship results in roles that may facilitate, guide, influence and at times restrict choice and control.

Intellectual disability and dementia: perspectives on environmental influences

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to improve understandings of environmental influences on participation in routine and familiar activities for people with intellectual disabilities and dementia from first-person and caregiver perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

Four adults with intellectual disabilities and dementia participated in 2 nominal group technique sessions and 12 family and staff caregivers participated in 5 standard focus groups. Transcripts were analyzed utilizing thematic analysis centering the findings from nominal group technique sessions and an ecological systems lens.

Findings

Participants with intellectual disabilities and dementia identified six important themes: activity access, caregiver assistance, social interactions, responsibilities, privacy, and health and wellness. Their perspectives focused primarily at an immediate environment level, while caregiver input added additional understandings from broader ecological systems levels.

Originality/value

This study provides a beginning point to establishing a framework for creating supports and addressing barriers to participation for adults with intellectual disability and dementia based on direct input from potential service consumers and their caregivers. People with intellectual disabilities and dementia provide valuable insights into their experiences through engagement in accessible research.

Perceptions and understandings of self-determination in the context of relationships between people with intellectual disabilities and social care professionals

This study examines perceptions and understandings of self-determination in the context of relationships between people with intellectual disabilities and social care professionals. We held focus group discussions to explore the views and experiences of 10 residents and 10 professionals at three facilities for people with intellectual disabilities located in Western Switzerland. Participants perceived and understood self-determination in terms of decision-making, social skills, procedures, identity, self-consciousness, autonomy, freedom, barriers, and facilitators. The research process highlighted the shifting and situational nature of the concept, as well as the importance of self-determination for people with intellectual disabilities. The findings also highlight the importance of discussion and reflection on the concept of self-determination and its benefits for people with intellectual disabilities.

A family systems perspective on supporting self-determination in young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

BACKGROUND

This study explored the way families support self-determination in young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) during life transitions.

METHOD

Qualitative case studies were conducted with two Canadian families who participated in semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations every quarter for one year. Analyses were informed by family systems theory and self-determination theory.

FINDINGS

Families considered the needs and preferences of the young adults with IDD, suggesting individualized approaches for balancing independence and protection. Families set short-term and long-term goals for increased independence, scaffolded the learning of new skills and collaborated on important choices. Collaboration occurred to the extent that all family members perceived agency in planning and implementing transitions.

CONCLUSIONS

Families supported the young adults with IDD in their psychological needs for competence, relatedness and autonomy, which allowed them to experience self-determination. Findings have implications for supporting self-determination and transition planning in the family system.

"Living the life I want": A framework for planning engagement with people with intellectual disability and complex support needs

BACKGROUND

Self-determination involves autonomy, agency, choice and control. This study investigated how these aspects of self-determination relate to engaging people with intellectual disability and complex support needs in setting goals and making plans.

METHOD

Body mapping was used to understand the planning experiences of 30 adults with intellectual disability and complex support needs. Each participant created two body maps using a guided group-based process. Visual and text data were thematically analysed and a framework for planning engagement developed.

RESULTS

The framework identifies the centrality of having a well-developed sense of self which includes insight, motivation and agency, and which is shaped by contextual barriers and facilitators and influenced by helpful and unhelpful support.

CONCLUSIONS

A well-developed sense of self and ability to harness resources and people is fundamental to the ability of individuals with intellectual disability and complex support needs articulating goals, identifying aspirations, and attaining valued outcomes.

The exercise of human rights and citizenship by older adults with an intellectual disability in Ireland

BACKGROUND

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provides the benchmark for assessing human rights and citizenship for people with disabilities. This emphasises autonomy, choice, independence, equality and participation for individuals as its fundamental guiding principles.

METHODS

This paper explores the exercise of human rights and citizenship for older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Ireland, including choice-making, advocacy and political participation. Cross-sectional data (n = 701) is drawn from wave 2 of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Rates of participation are reported, along with bivariate associations across a range of demographic, personal and social variables, while factors associated with level of choice-making and voting are explored.

RESULTS

We found very low rates of choice-making, advocacy and political participation amongst this population. Two factors of choice were explored: key life choice and everyday choice. Some commonalities were identified between the two factors, yet key differences were also noted. Type of residence was the strongest predictor of key life choice yet not significant in everyday choice, while the reverse was true for functioning in activities of daily living. Other factors were also significant in determining choice, including level of ID, contact with family, functional limitation, literacy, age, having friends and respondent type.

CONCLUSIONS

Low rates of participation reported here impinge on the rights of older adults with ID under the principles of the UN CRPD. Choice-making emerged as a multi-factorial phenomenon, with different factors important depending on the type of choice involved. This encourages a nuanced and personalised response from policy and support services to overcome individual challenges to participation as equal citizens. The significance of respondent type also highlights the difficulty of including self-report, supported and proxy participants in ID research.

A Summary of NCSER-Funded Projects in the Area of Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students With Disabilities

Special education practitioners are required to use instructional practices based on scientific research. Conducting high-quality research can be expensive and researchers often need federal funding to assist in documenting effective practices. The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is a preferred source of funding for this type of special education research. The purpose of this review was to summarize publications from grants funded from 2006 until 2013 by NCSER in the area of Transition Outcomes for Special Education Secondary Students, describe major findings, and discuss their contributions to the field. We reviewed information from 22 grants and 132 articles published in refereed journals with an additional one article in press. Contributions to the field, limitations, suggestions for future research, implications for practice, and conclusions are discussed.

Self-Determination, Intellectual Disability, and Context: A Meta-Analytic Study

The relation between self-determination and intellectual functioning is complex, as other contextual factors may also play significant roles in explaining variability in self-determination. This study used meta-analytic techniques to assess how self-determination measures vary between people with disabilities classified as having intellectual disability (ID) or not, and contextual variables that moderate this relation. The literature search yielded 16 eligible studies, whose variables of interest were coded and analyzed. The results showed that when comparing self-determination measures among disability classification groups, gender, disability label and race/ethnicity were associated with the effect size estimation. These findings empirically support the relevance of personal variables when understanding self-determination levels and their impact in the operational classification of ID.

Implementation of Customized Employment Provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Within Vocational Rehabilitation Systems

Effectively integrating provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) into public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) systems will require extensive effort at both the organizational and system levels. This article presents information on WIOA provisions, enacted in July of 2014, that affect public VR systems plus rationale, strategies, and tools for implementing these provisions in a manner that promotes quality and sustainability. Both “ideal” implementation methods and “pragmatic” methods are presented based on the experience of one state’s efforts to incorporate customized employment strategies into its VR system to benefit customers who have not been successful at achieving a competitive, integrated employment outcome through traditional VR strategies.

Moving Us Toward a Theory of Individual Quality of Life

This article discusses three steps involved in moving us toward a theory of individual quality of life: developing a conceptual model, integrating theory components, and applying and evaluating the theory. Each of the proposed steps is guided by established standards regarding theory development and use. The article concludes with a discussion of criteria that can be used to evaluate the theory and the contribution that a theory of individual quality of life would make to the field of disability.

Recommendations of the Self-Determination and Self-Advocacy Strand From the National Goals 2015 Conference

This article reports the recommendations of the Self-Determination and Self-Advocacy Strand from the National Goals 2015 conference. The recommendations provide direction on research goals to advance policy and practice related to self-advocacy and self-determination over the next 10 years. Seven recommendations and multiple subrecommendations were developed over a 2-day meeting by leaders in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. The recommended goals provide direction for research initiatives related to collective self-advocacy and personal self-determination. Implications for the field are discussed.

An exploratory study of inclusive worksite wellness: Considering employees with disabilities

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of employers are offering worksite wellness programs, yet, little is known about the participation of workers with disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the factors, which facilitate and impede participation in worksite wellness offerings by individuals with disabilities.

METHODS

Participants completed the Access to Worksite Wellness Services to Employees with Disabilities (AWWSED).

RESULTS

The decision to participate in worksite wellness programs is influenced by several individual, social, and organizational factors including perceptions of the impact of one's disability on health, the health habits of coworkers, and an organizational commitment to employee well-being. Study participants also indicated the importance of affordability, convenient times, and interest in the wellness activities being offered, as influencing participation decisions.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that individual, social, and organizational factors all contribute to the decision to participate and suggest that social support from colleagues as well as easily obtained and understandable program information from the employer, may be especially useful in engaging employees with disabilities in wellness programs.

Thriving in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability

Most research on mental health in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) has focused on deficits. We examined individual (i.e., sociocommunicative skills, adaptive behavior, functional cognitive skills) and contextual (i.e., home, school, and community participation) correlates of thriving in 330 youth with ID and ASD compared to youth with ID only, 11-22 years of age (M = 16.74, SD = 2.95). Youth with ASD and ID were reported to thrive less than peers with ID only. Group differences in sociocommunicative ability and school participation mediated the relationship between ASD and less thriving. Research is needed to further elucidate a developmental-contextual framework that can inform interventions to promote mental health and wellness in individuals with ASD and ID.