Meal Planner Application Efficacy for Increasing Meal Planning Independence in Individuals with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Assistive technology (AT) has been shown to be a promising method for supporting individuals with intellectual disability (ID) attain a higher degree of independence both at home and in the work place. The purpose of this alternating-treatment single-case research design study was to compare the effectiveness of three methods (i.e., Notes App, written list, Meal Planner App) for generating grocery lists by participants with ID, while evaluating the social validity of the AT. Findings indicate that the Meal Planner App was the most successful for individuals with ID, resulting in a 99.45% success rate for generating a shopping list across four participants. Based on social validity measures, all participants enjoyed using the app and thought it was easy to use.