Examination of methods of Selecting Goal-Directed Activities for Institutionalized Retarded Adults

Abstract

The effects of living-unit (ward) staff input and participant (retarded individual) input into activity selection on participation in goal-directed activities were studied. The participants were 78 institutionalized retarded adults. The goal-directed ected activities were primarily arts and crafts activities. Specifically examined were the effects of (a) living-unit staff plus participant input, (b) participant input, (c) living-unit staff input, and (d) neither living-unit staff nor participant input into selection of the activities. All four treatment conditions increased the percentage of time on task by the participants above that obtained in the baseline conditions. The mean percentage of time on task for the four treatment conditions and the baseline conditions was 88.8%, 50.6%, 36.8%, 18.8%, and 13.2%, respectively, on the last block of five sessions. The results reflect the importance of both living-unit staff and participant's input into the decision making process.

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