Engagement in meaningful activity and "active support" of people with intellectual disabilities in residential care.

Mansell et al. (2002) tested active support in group homes for adults with intellectual disability.

Staff got training and on-the-job coaching. The goal was more resident engagement in daily tasks.

Homes using active support saw higher engagement and adaptive behavior than no-change homes.

Adults cooked, cleaned, and joined outings more often after staff learned the method.

Anonymous (2019) ran a similar program in the U.S. and found no boost in engagement. The difference: high staff turnover and residents with fewer skills blunted the effect.

Quilitch (1975) got the same result earlier with a simpler trick: post daily scores and assign each worker a task. Engagement jumped from 7 to 32 activities per day.

Lippold et al. (2009) warn that more activities alone do not build friendships. You need extra steps to grow social networks.

Active support works when staff stay and residents already have some skills. Before you start, check your turnover rate and teach basic steps first. Pair the method with deliberate friendship-building if you want social gains, not just task engagement.