Students with intellectual disability going to college: What are the outcomes? A pilot study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Postsecondary education (PSE) programs for students with intellectual disability (ID) have been increasing in recent years. Career development and skills for independent living are frequently cited objectives of PSE programs (Grigal, Hart, & Weir, 2012) yet evidence for the immediate effects of these programs is sparse. OBJECTIVE: In this study we conducted an initial investigation to monitor changes in independence during a one year period for six students with intellectual disability (ID) participating in an inclusive postsecondary education program. METHODS: Adaptive behaviors and support needs were measured using the Scale of Independent Behaviors-Revised (SIB-R; Bruininks Woodcock, Weatherman, & Hill, 1996), the Support Intensity Scale (SIS, Thompson et al., 2004), and weekly hours of support provided to the students were directly measured. A single group, pre-post design was used to compare measures of independence from the beginning and end of the academic year. RESULTS: Initial results, in the form of descriptive statistics, show evidence that students, living on a college campus and participating in a PSE program, learn to function in ways that reduce the needs for support without limiting participation in inclusive activities. CONCLUSION: Recommendations for improving impact assessments of PSE programs are also discussed.

Toward Competitive Employment for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: What Progress Have We Made and Where Do We Need to Go

“…In the years to come, some sort of college experience will be required for approximately two thirds of jobs (Carnevale, Smith, & Strohl, 2010), yet transition-aged youth with intellectual disabilities have the lowest rates of postsecondary enrollment of any disability group (29%) and that number drops to 7% when 4-year college enrollment is specified (Newman et al, 2011). Furthermore, despite increases in the enrollment rates of students with disabilities, retention of students to degree completion remains a widespread issue (Getzel, 2008;Prohn, Kelley, & Westling, 2018).…”

“…We also know that several aspects of postsecondary educational programs for young adults with IDD are particularly promising. Through inclusive academic coursework and sustained opportunities for social involvement on campus, college students with IDD learn skills needed for employment success (Prohn & Camden, 2017;Prohn et al, 2018;Thoma, 2013).…”

A Systematic Review of the Assessment of Support Needs in People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

“…The support needs scores have been used to assess the effectiveness of six interventions [ 51 , 62 , 68 , 73 , 74 , 92 , 108 ], focused on the development of life skills or related to employment. Of these, only Tate et al (2019) found no effect on support needs, as assessed through CANS, after applying a coaching program for transition to adulthood to youths with brain injury [ 92 ].…”

“…Regarding skills development, Koristas et al (2008) assessed the effect of active support training of 12 adults with intellectual disability, with the reduction of perceived support needs being one of the indicators of effectiveness, which was attributed to the increased opportunity to develop skills [ 62 ]. Prohn et al (2018) concluded that their post-secondary programs (focused on skills development and independent living) influenced the adaptive behavior skills and support needs of six students with intellectual disabilities [ 68 ]. Sanjo et al (2018, 2019) studied the effects of self-management training for people with intellectual disabilities through skills training for their participants and their caregivers, resulting in a significant decrease of their support needs at 9 and 12 months [ 73 , 74 ].…”

“…The relationship between support needs and these variables is relevant to guide planning and service allocation [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 20 ]. Thus, knowing that support needs are significantly higher during the transition to adulthood (the ages of 16–21) may motivate the implementation of interventions at this stage [ 68 , 82 , 115 ]. Furthermore, studies that relate support needs to age recommend reassessing at different educational stages for better support planning, developing vocational and training programs, and ensuring supports for independent living [ 116 , 117 , 118 ].…”