Program opportunities of residential immersive life skills programs for youth with disabilities.
A live-in life-skills program hits its mark when staff protect daily chances for youth to talk, choose, and practice skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
King et al. (2018) watched and interviewed staff and youth in a live-in life-skills camp. They wanted to see if the real day matched the planned day.
The team listed every chance kids got to talk, choose, or practice skills. Then they checked if those chances really happened.
What they found
The real camp day looked almost exactly like the plan. Social hang-outs, choice times, and skill drills were the big movers.
When these three pieces showed up, youth said the week felt 'transformational.'
How this fits with other research
King et al. (2016) ran the same camp two years earlier with four kids who had physical disabilities. That pilot proved the plan could be followed; the 2018 study shows it still works when more youth attend.
Libero et al. (2016) found transition-age youth with autism or ID have very low social quality of life. King et al. (2018) point to a fix: pack the day with planned social moments.
McMillan et al. (1999) taught staff in adult homes to give more help and choices. Both studies say the same thing: staff who create chances for talk and choice lift resident engagement, no matter the age.
Why it matters
You do not need new money to add social, choice, and skill slots. Look at your daily schedule. Mark three 10-minute blocks where clients talk to peers, pick an item, or practice a task. Ask staff to guard those blocks the same way they guard mealtime. Gillian’s work says these small protected chances are the active ingredients that make a good day feel life-changing.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
PURPOSE: Residential immersive life skills programs provide youth with the skills and outlooks needed to adopt new roles in life. Observed program opportunities and service providers' perceptions of opportunities were examined to determine program fidelity. Service providers' views of how the programs work were also examined. METHOD: 107 activity settings were observed across two summers at three programs, with opportunities assessed using the Measure of Environmental Qualities of Activity Settings (MEQAS-48). Activity settings were classified by session format (instructional versus experiential) and activity type (active physical, skill-based, self-improvement). Qualitative interviews were held with seven service providers. RESULTS: Service providers indicated the importance of life-preparatory learning opportunities for social interaction, choice, and skill development, which aligned with high observed MEQAS-48 opportunities for social interaction, choice in experiential session formats, and personal growth. Providers individualized program delivery to provide youth with personally meaningful and challenging experiences. Providers also discussed emergent, transformational outcomes, including enhanced awareness of strengths, enhanced confidence in skills, identity development, and greater awareness of future life possibilities. CONCLUSIONS: The study provided evidence of program fidelity, along with robust evidence for program opportunities as an active ingredient that may be transferable to the design and delivery of other transition-support programs.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2018 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.09.003