The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have proclaimed the basic right of people to make one’s own choices, have an effective participation and inclusion. Research in the field of disability have stressed self-determination as a key construct because of its impact on their quality of life and the achievement of desired educational and adulthood related outcomes. Self-determination development must be promoted through specific strategies and especially, by providing tailored opportunities to practice those skills. Providing these opportunities across environments could be especially relevant as a facilitator of self-determination development. This manuscript aims to ascertain if opportunities at home and in the community to engage in self-determined actions are mediating the relationship between people intellectual disability level and their self-determination. Results have confirmed direct effects of intellectual disability level on self-determination scores. Indirect effects also predicted self-determination and almost all its related components (self-initiation, self-direction, self-regulation, self-realization, and empowerment) through opportunities in the community and at home. Autonomy was predicted by the intellectual disability level through an indirect effect of opportunities at home, but not in the community. These results highlight the need for further research to better operationalize and promote contextually rooted opportunities for people with intellectual disability to become more self-determined.

Executive dysfunctions are present in numerous disorders, including autism. One of the main limitations of the tests traditionally used to measure executive functioning is that they are poorly adjusted to the demands of real life. This study shows the ability of seven children with autism, aged between five and 12 (M = 7.7, SD = 2.0), to transfer the executive skills they learnt in an executive functions training programme to everyday life. For the study the participants’ parents and teachers were asked to fill out the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) questionnaire before and after the intervention. The results of the pre-test-post-test analysis in both groups of respondents show statistically significant differences in the two questionnaire factors: Total working memory and Total inhibition. The need to focus assessment and intervention for people with autism on difficulties in everyday executive functioning for optimal psycho-social adaptation of the individual to their environment is emphasized.

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.