Clinical Decision Making and Preference Assessment for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities are able to reliably express their likes and dislikes through direct preference assessment. Preferred items tend to function as rewards and can therefore be used to facilitate the acquisition of new skills and promote task engagement. A number of preference assessment methods are available and selecting the appropriate method is crucial to provide reliable and meaningful results. The authors conducted a systematic review of the preference assessment literature, and developed an evidence-informed, decision-making model to guide practitioners in the selection of preference assessment methods for a given assessment scenario. The proposed decision-making model could be a useful tool to increase the usability and uptake of preference assessment methodology in applied settings.

A Modified Smartphone-Based Program to Support Leisure and Communication Activities in People with Multiple Disabilities

“…With regard to the motivation aspect, one can argue that both the leisure and the communication activities available within the program were likely to have positive, reinforcing value and thus could serve as motivating events with beneficial effects on participants' performance and satisfaction (Catania 2012;Harr et al 2011;Pierce and Cheney 2008). While this assumption appears realistic, the study did not verify its accuracy with direct checks on the participants' opinion about those activities (e.g., on whether they favored those activities over other forms of daily engagement) and such checks remain a requirement (Hall et al 2014;Virués-Ortega et al 2014). Fourth, some limitations of the study may need to be listed here.…”

An Upgraded Smartphone-Based Program for Leisure and Communication of People With Intellectual and Other Disabilities

“…The latter aspect may emphasize that the participants enjoyed the activities [i.e., found them motivating (34–36)]. Such emphasis is hardly surprising given that the leisure activities and communication partners included in the program were considered preferred for the participants (37–40). While this analysis of the participants' performance appears easily sustainable, the study would have benefited from an investigation of the participants' satisfaction with the program (41).…”

Preference assessment training via self-instruction: A replication and extension

“…Third, although we taught participants how to implement, score, and evaluate the outcomes of a PS assessment, we did not include information on how to decipher which type of assessment (e.g., MSWO vs. PS) is most appropriate to use with a specific population or how to select items to include in the assessment. In the future, researchers should focus on the detection of important variables practitioners must consider when identifying the most appropriate assessment method for a specific client (e.g., Virués‐Ortega et al, ), as well as teaching individuals how to identify potential stimuli for inclusion. Researchers also should assess the efficacy of the package with new employees as a part of their training.…”