Quality of life of adults with pervasive developmental disorders and intellectual disabilities.
Tailor the plan to the skill you want to change: individualized ABA cuts behavior problems, while standard ID programs ease withdrawal.
01Research in Context
What this study did
O'Reilly et al. (2008) compared two tracks of day services for adults who had both autism and intellectual disability.
One group got behavioral plans written just for their autism needs. The other group got the center's usual ID plan.
Staff tracked behavior problems, withdrawal, and quality of life for both groups.
What they found
The autism-tailored plans cut behavior problems. The usual ID plans cut lethargy and social withdrawal.
Quality of life stayed high in both groups. Different plans helped different skills.
How this fits with other research
Morán et al. (2025) later showed that social inclusion is the weakest part of quality of life for youth with ID. F et al.'s finding that withdrawal can drop with the right plan supports that gap.
Samuel et al. (2024) found that when caregivers feel better through peer support, adults with ID also report better quality of life. F et al. focused on the client side, Sarah et al. on the caregiver side; together they show quality of life is a team effort.
Cruz-Montecinos et al. (2024) mapped why adults with ID join or quit lifestyle programs. They found that fun, choice, and co-design keep people engaged. F et al.'s autism-specific plans likely worked because they matched personal needs, echoing C et al.'s call for tailored engagement.
Why it matters
If you write behavior plans for adults with both autism and ID, pick the target that matches the plan's focus. Use individualized ABA to lower problem behavior, but add group-based ID activities to fight withdrawal. Check both client and caregiver quality of life; gains on either side boost the whole system.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to observe quality of life (QoL) and global evolution of persons with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) in three different groups. Individualized programs for PDD were compared to traditional programs for intellectual disabilities. Behavioural disorders were repeatedly evaluated using the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC) and QoL once a year. Little research has investigated this domain due to methodological problems with a non-verbal population. Two preliminary studies of individualized programs showed a significant reduction in behaviour disorders over the course of the study. The recent inclusion of a control group indicates that a traditional program reduces lethargy/social withdrawal (ABC factor 2). A good QoL was measured for the three groups.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2008 · doi:10.1007/s10803-008-0547-9