Exploring the interplay between adaptive behavior, support needs, quality of life, and self-determination with persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Better settings—not extra lessons—unlock self-determination for adults with IDD living in institutions.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Moreira et al. (2025) asked adults with mild-moderate intellectual or developmental disabilities living in Portuguese institutions to fill out short surveys.
They wanted to know if better quality of life and fewer daily-help needs predicted higher self-determination scores.
The team ran simple statistics to see which life-area scores lined up with how much control people felt they had over their own choices.
What they found
Adults who said life was going well and who needed little staff help also said they made more of their own choices.
The link stayed strong even after the team checked for age and diagnosis.
In short, tweak the setting first—skills training alone may not be enough.
How this fits with other research
Friedman (2022) found the same pattern: stable housing and feeling safe raised quality of life for adults with IDD.
Together the two studies say, "Fix the environment, not just the person."
Carter et al. (2013) looked at kids, not adults, and asked parents instead of clients. Parents still rated self-determination low, backing the idea that support gaps start early and last.
Di Lieto et al. (2025) studied children with cerebral palsy and also saw that helpful surroundings, not body limits, drove quality-of-life scores.
All four papers point to one theme: context beats impairment.
Why it matters
If you write goals or train staff in residential settings, start with environmental tweaks. Ask: Can the client pick dinner time? Choose room décor? Control the radio? Small choice slots lower support needs and lift quality of life without extra staff hours.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined the correlations between adaptive behavior, support needs, quality of life (QOL), and self-determination in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The sample comprised 80 adults (>18 y, 27 ± 13.8), 40 women and 40 men, with mild and moderate IDD, all institutionalized. Portuguese versions of four instruments were administered: Adaptive Behavior Scale, Supports Intensity Scale, Personal Outcomes Scale, and Self-Determination Inventory. These were administered to better understand how these constructs interact with and influence one another in real-life contexts. The correlations between self-determination and adaptive behavior were weak to moderate, highlighting a more complex and possibly indirect relationship between these two constructs. Self-determination showed negative correlations with support needs, indicating that individuals with more supports need may face more barriers to acting autonomously or making meaningful choices. The findings revealed significant and positive correlations between the core components and essential characteristics of self-determination and various QOL domains. This suggests that individuals who report a higher QOL also tend to demonstrate greater self-determined behavior and are more likely to engage in volitional behavior. Notably, both QOL and support needs emerged as significant and robust predictors of self-determination, underscoring the central role played by contextual and environmental factors in shaping one's capacity to act with agency. These findings underscore the importance of fostering environments that not only reduce unnecessary support dependence, but also actively promote QOL, autonomy, and meaningful participation. Thus, services and policies can more effectively support the realization of self-determination for people with IDD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2025.105126