Active Support Training, Staff Assistance, and Engagement of Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the United States: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Researchers ran a randomized trial in U.S. group homes. They trained staff with Active Support coaching. Then they watched 75 adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

The team tracked how much help staff gave and how engaged the residents were. They wanted to see if the training alone would boost activity levels.

Active Support training did not move the needle. Staff assistance stayed flat. Resident engagement did not rise.

Personal traits, not the training, predicted who stayed active. The program by itself was not enough.

van Herwaarden et al. (2025) later ran a similar trial and saw clear gains in independence and well-being. Their newer methods may have fixed gaps Qian et al. (2019) left open.

Mazonson et al. (2018) showed that adding manager coaching and audits to PBS cut challenging behavior. Like the present study, they worked in group homes, but their extra layers worked.

Strydom et al. (2020) also found zero benefit when staff got PBS without strong onsite support. Together these null trials hint that training alone is weak; you need ongoing coaching and system change.

If you run a house for adults with ID, do not stop at a one-off Active Support workshop. Pair training with daily manager feedback, data checks, and stable staffing. Target engagement plans to each person’s likes and skills. Without these extras, the best manual will sit on the shelf.