Earning a Real Wage: A Statewide Investigation of Young Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Strike in the early twenties—wage trajectories for people with IDD are set then.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Grossi et al. (2020) looked at paycheck records for young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
They compared wages across age groups in one statewide service system.
The goal was to see who earns real wages, not sheltered-workshop pay.
What they found
Young adults had the best odds of earning higher wages.
Older groups did not catch up, even with the same supports.
The early post-school years are the sweet spot for competitive pay.
How this fits with other research
Schall et al. (2020) ran a tight RCT with Project SEARCH plus autism supports.
They also saw strong wages, but only for the autism slice.
Teresa widens the lens—wage gains hold for the whole IDD young-adult pool.
Shepley et al. (2024) tested high-school policy tweaks and found only weak wage bumps.
Their numbers line up: policy alone is too late; real paychecks bloom right after graduation.
Why it matters
If you write transition plans, front-load job supports before age 25.
Push for competitive jobs the day the diploma is handed over.
Waiting even a few years drops the wage ceiling your client can reach.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a competitive-employment goal to every ITP for clients turning 18 this year.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has gained increased attention through legislation, policies, advocacy, and practice. For transition-age youth, this focus aims to set a trajectory of increased competitive employment outcomes and a lower reliance on facility-based and subminimum wage jobs. Using a statewide survey of day and employment service users, this study sought to understand how earnings of young adults fared compared to other age groups. Key findings highlighted differences across age groups, including that young adults had significantly better odds of earning higher wages. The implications for public policy and service systems in regard to the supports that young adults need in order to embark on a positive trajectory in their work lives are discussed.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-58.4.264