A social-ecological analysis of the self-determination literature.

The author read every self-determination paper she could find. She sorted the factors into layers: the person, family, school, policy, and culture. No new data were collected; the paper is a map, not a test.

Self-determination is not just a skill inside the client. Supports or barriers live at every layer. A micro-level goal can crash into a macro-level rule. The review gives a one-page checklist to scan all layers before you write a plan.

McGee et al. (2019) extends this idea to whole agencies. They show how to use Behavioral Systems Analysis to map system variables before big changes in autism services. The same layers appear, but the unit is the organization, not the person.

de Campos et al. (2012) looked at infants with risk conditions. Their scoping review found that each diagnosis changes early exploration in its own way. Vargas (2013) would put those differences in the micro layer and remind you to check how family or NICU policy shape the baby’s opportunities to act.

Austin et al. (2015) counted smaller, looser family networks for adults with ID. Vargas (2013) predicts this result: if the mesosystem (family) is weak, self-determination will need extra supports from school or work crews to compensate.

Before your next plan, run the five-layer checklist. Ask: Does the group home rule let the client choose? Are parents rewarded for letting go? Is the bus schedule a wall? You will spot land mines early and write goals that fit the real world.