Abstract
Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have increased need for support to maintain employment. This presentation will educate practitioners on a client-centered approach to improve skill performance for the population with IDD.
Primary Author and Speaker: Rachel Dowell
Contributing Authors: Retta Martin
Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face a multitude of challenges and barriers in obtaining and maintaining employment. These challenges may include difficulty engaging in social participation and developing friendships, lack of community inclusion, high unemployment rates, decreased job skills training in employment opportunities, and barriers to accessing transportation (Jacob et al., 2023). There is a gap in literature that determines effective individualized interventions and environmental supports that can be used to improve their job skill performance to aid them in successful, integrated employment. This study will begin the discussion to further improve employment outcomes for this poulaiton as well as increase occupational therapy’s role within this non-traditional area of expertise (Coakley & Bryze, 2018). A pre-test/post-test quantitative study utilized a person-centered planning approach with individualized interventions to aid individuals with IDD in reaching their goals for improvements in performance with work tasks. To evaluate the program, a researcher-created evaluation tool was administered pre- and post- 6 weeks of intervention. Additionally, the goal attainment scaling (GAS) assessment was administered pre- and post-intervention to determine level of attainment of each goal that was set during the person-centered planning meetings. The findings suggest that utilizing individualized interventions during hands-on vocational training in the work environment is effect in improving job skill performance. Creating work experience and opportunities, providing hands-on training, advocating for workplace adaptations, and using a person-centered approach to create motivational goals for the IDD population aided in the improvement of successful, integrated employment outcomes (Gosse et al., 2017). Improving employment outcomes for this population will significantly improve their overall quality of life.
Coakley, K., & Bryze, K. (2018). The distinct value of occupational therapy in supported employment of adults with intellectual disabilities. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 6(2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1424
Gosse, L., Griffiths, D., Owen, F., & Feldman, M. (2017). Impact of an individualized planning approach on personal outcomes and supports for persons with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 14(3), 198-204. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12209
Jacob, U. S., Pillay, J., Adeoye, O. E., & Oni, T. K. (2023). Barriers to employment of people with intellectual disabilities. Work, 74(1), 207-218. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-211097