Implementing a Problem-Solving Intervention With Students With Mild to Moderate Disabilities

Abstract

Students with mild and moderate disabilities need to be skillful at problem solving. This article provides an overview of a problem-solving intervention designed to teach students with mild and moderate disabilities the skills of problem solving. An explanation of the assessments, materials, instructional outline, and methods is presented.

Promoting social inclusion: a structured intervention for enhancing interpersonal problem‐solving skills in children with mild intellectual disabilities

“…Many researchers have found that students with developmental disabilities can benefit when teachers use a systematic problem‐solving intervention to aid them in becoming proficient problem‐solvers (Cote, ; Cote et al ., ; Spivack and Shure, ). It has also been reported that problem‐solving skills can give students an edge in the workplace, facilitate the development of self‐determination and increase opportunities for self‐advocacy (Agran et al ., ; Cote, ). In this context, and in order to support teachers to teach problem‐solving skills, the aim of this article was to present a structured framework for teaching children with mild intellectual disability a problem‐solving procedure for approaching and responding to situations involving peer conflict interactions.…”

“…The initial assessment aims at investigating the necessary conditions, on the student's part, for the instruction of social problem‐solving skills, as regards conflict situations within the context of social interaction with peers. As Cote () indicates, initial problem‐solving assessment should be designed so as to ascertain a student's experience with problem‐solving, as well as his or her ability to identify a problem and its potential solutions. For this purpose, the teacher administers (1) the Problem Solving Questionnaire (adapted from Cote, ) and (2) the ‘Recognizing and responding to a problem situation’ assessment tool, which has been developed on the grounds of previous relevant literature (Cote et al ., ; D'Zurilla et al ., ; Crick and Dodge, ).…”

“…Cote and her colleagues stressed the importance of teaching problem‐solving skills to students with developmental disabilities, and the benefits of problem‐solving interventions in students’ life (Cote, ; Cote et al ., ). Within this framework, providing systematic training in problem‐solving skills could be beneficial for children with intellectual disabilities in the sense of developing competence in dealing with the challenges that might be encountered in the context of interpersonal interactions.…”

Theory of Mind or Social Information Processing Training: Which Is the Better Way to Foster Social Adjustment?

“…Concerning SIP interventions, very few have been tested in experimental studies. Such studies have been conducted on adolescents and adults with IDs (Anderson & Kazantzis, 2008;Cote, 2011;Crites & Dunn, 2004;Nestler & Goldbeck, 2011;O'Reilly et al, 2004;Vlachou & Stavroussi, 2016), and only two have focused on elementary school children displaying IDs (Jacobs et al, 2016;Jacobs & Nader-Grosbois, 2020b). The findings of these studies demonstrate the effectiveness of SIP training for people with IDs.…”

“…The findings of these studies demonstrate the effectiveness of SIP training for people with IDs. After training, participants identify social problems more easily and classify situations as positive or negative more accurately (Cote, 2011;Jacobs et al, 2016;Jacobs & Nader-Grosbois, 2020b). They also provide coherent justification of social behaviors, especially inappropriate behaviors (Jacobs & Nader-Grosbois, 2020b).…”