Evaluating an informed consent process designed to improve inclusion of adults with intellectual disability in research.
Swap long consent forms for Easy Read or short teach-back chats—adults with ID understand research better and can truly choose.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Dai et al. (2023) built two new ways to teach adults with intellectual disability about joining research.
One way used Easy Read forms with big text and pictures. The other used a short talk that checked understanding after each chunk.
They compared both new ways to the usual long consent form.
What they found
Adults learned more with Easy Read or with the short talk than with the standard form.
Both new ways helped people say yes or no with better knowledge of what would happen.
How this fits with other research
Neuringer et al. (2007) showed plain-language, illustrated med booklets also help adults with ID. The new consent study repeats that win in a new area.
Heslop et al. (2007) used an iterative teaching loop for reading. Dai et al. (2023) used the same loop for consent, showing the trick works across topics.
Chou et al. (2007) found adults with ID knew little about sexual consent laws. That bad news makes the new good news—research consent can be taught—feel even bigger.
Why it matters
If you run studies or ask clients to sign forms, swap your long consent page for an Easy Read version or a quick teach-back chat. You will spend five extra minutes and gain real understanding. That small switch keeps you ethical and includes adults with ID as true partners, not just signatures.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Adults with intellectual disability (ID) are both underrepresented in research and enrolled in studies they may not understand. Instead of facilitating research engagement, the informed consent process often fails to elucidate its essential elements. AIMS: We evaluated whether a novel informed consent process was more effective than current practice at helping adults with ID understand key elements of research. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: 21 adults with ID completed a novel iterative teaching process (ITP) for teaching and assessing informed consent. The ITP was used to compare the baseline (Conventional) approach to an Easy Read and a Conversational approach. Participants were asked a series of questions to assess their attitudes toward, and their comprehension of, the materials. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The pilot found encouraging evidence for the efficacy and feasibility of the ITP. The two novel ITP approaches were both superior to current practice. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This project contributes to a growing literature by introducing a process for teaching and evaluating informed consent. Results indicate that comprehension of informed consent materials can be taught to, and learned by, adults with ID with proper accommodations.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104413