Intervention Enhancing Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Training on Performance Feedback for Direct Support Professional Work Performance, Stress, and Job Satisfaction

Pingo et al. (2020) worked with direct support professionals who serve adults with developmental disabilities. The team gave the usual verbal and written feedback, then added a short ACT-based workshop.

They used a multiple-baseline design across staff. The goal was to see if the ACT layer would boost treatment quality without raising stress.

After the ACT add-on, staff delivered active treatment more often and did the steps correctly more of the time. Stress and job satisfaction stayed flat, so the extra training did not burn people out.

The study showed a positive trend, but it did not give exact numbers.

Pingo et al. (2022) later ran an RCT with the same ACT-plus-feedback package. They found medium gains in both treatment frequency and competence, so the 2022 paper now offers the stronger evidence base.

Rutter et al. (1987) taught workers with disabilities to ask for feedback themselves. Both studies target vocational skills, but the 1987 paper used self-management while the 2020 paper added ACT for the staff who give support.

Yamamoto et al. (2022) showed that plain performance feedback alone can teach polite workplace phrases to teens with autism. The 2020 study kept feedback but layered ACT on top, showing how the field keeps building simple tools into fuller packages.

If you supervise DSPs, you can keep your current feedback routine and just bolt on a one-hour ACT module. The 2022 RCT says you will likely see bigger gains than feedback alone, and the 2020 data say staff will not feel more stressed. Try it next week: after you give your usual verbal feedback, spend ten minutes on values and committed action with the team.