Perspectives of adolescents with disabilities and their parents regarding autonomous decision-making and self-determination.
Parents who give teens daily choices raise self-determination scores, especially for girls.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Taub et al. (2023) asked teens with disabilities and their parents to fill out surveys. They wanted to know if letting teens make everyday choices links to stronger self-determination.
The sample mixed diagnoses, so findings speak broadly to teens with developmental and other disabilities.
What they found
Parents who often invited their teen to decide things at home rated the teen higher on self-determination.
Girls scored higher than boys, and more chances to choose at home went hand-in-hand with stronger teen self-ratings.
How this fits with other research
Andrés-Gárriz et al. (2025) ran a group program for autistic young adults and saw small, non-significant gains in self-determination. Tamar’s survey shows the same link without training, hinting that everyday parent invitations may do part of the work.
Riccio et al. (2021) found that parents who openly tell their autistic teen about the diagnosis boost the teen’s positive autism identity. Together these studies suggest parent openness plus choice-making builds both identity and autonomy.
Simantov et al. (2024) showed that parent and teen ratings on empathy don’t always match. Tamar adds a reminder: when you measure self-determination, collect both voices instead of trusting only the parent view.
Why it matters
You can grow self-determination without a manual. Ask parents to offer real, low-stakes choices—what to cook, when to study, which clothes to buy. Track both parent and teen reports to see change. Start today by adding one choice opportunity to your client’s home routine.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Parents' promotion of autonomous decision-making (PADM) is essential for adolescents with disabilities and constitutes the basis for maturation of self-determination (SD). SD develops based on adolescents' capacities and the opportunities offered to them at home and at school, to make personal decisions regarding their life. AIM: Examine the associations between the PADM and SD of adolescents with disabilities from their own perspective and that of their parents. METHOD: Sixty-nine adolescents with disabilities and one of their parents completed a self-report questionnaire including PADM and SD scales. OUTCOMES: The findings showed associations between parents' and adolescents' reports of PADM, and opportunities for SD at home. PADM was associated with capacities for SD among adolescents. Gender differences were also apparent, with both adolescent girls and their parents reporting higher ratings of SD than adolescent boys. CONCLUSIONS: Parents who promote autonomous decision-making among their adolescent children with disabilities start a virtuous circle by offering greater opportunities for SD within the home. In turn, these adolescents rate their SD as higher, and communicate this perspective to their parents. Consequently, their parents offer them more opportunities for autonomous decision-making at home, thus enhancing their SD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104442