Measuring the consumer satisfaction of class members of a law suit.
A two-question satisfaction check can prove your service change works and keep you out of court.
01Research in Context
What this study did
A court told a state to fix services for adults with intellectual disability.
After the new plans started, the researchers asked the same people one question: are you happy now?
They counted the answers and wrote down short quotes.
What they found
Satisfaction jumped after the court plans took hold.
People said they got more choice, better staff, and clearer goals.
A simple interview caught the change that long reports missed.
How this fits with other research
Golnik et al. (2012) saw the same lift in autism clinics when doctors shared decisions with parents.
Nohelty et al. (2023) got high marks for telehealth ABA, but noted tech trouble dragged scores down.
Together the papers show one rule: let the client talk, and satisfaction rises—whether the setting is a courtroom, clinic, or living-room screen.
Why it matters
You can copy the 1998 trick in any program. Ask your clients or parents a five-minute satisfaction question at baseline, then again after you add a new goal, staff, or tech. The answer is your cheap, fast social-validity meter. If the number dips, fix the plan before the complaint reaches a lawyer or funder.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The present article describes a study of consumer satisfaction in a group of class members who are part of a mental disability law reform suit Consumer satisfaction was considered one aspect of compliance with this lawsuit. The class members have a primary diagnosis of intellectual disability, and in most cases, a secondary diagnosis of mental illness. Conducting consumer satisfaction studies among people with intellectual disabilities is often challenging because some of these consumers have difficulty articulating their needs and concerns. An interview schedule with simple quantitative and qualitative satisfaction questions was used. The present study investigated the satisfaction of a subgroup of these class members prior to and after having a court-supported service plan. The results reveal that these consumers became considerably more satisfied, and many of their specific satisfactions and dissatisfaction were identified. The results suggest that both quantitative and qualitative consumer responses can be helpful in determining compliance with court issues.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 1998 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2788.1998.00126.x