Using self-management procedures to improve the productivity of adults with developmental disabilities in a competitive employment setting.

Two women with mild intellectual disability worked in busy restaurants. They wanted to keep their jobs and earn more hours.

The researchers taught each woman to count her own completed tasks and mark a simple card. No boss watched. The women chose when to work faster.

Both women quickly doubled the number of tasks they finished per shift. Managers gave them extra shifts because the work was done well and on time.

The women said they felt proud and in control. One told her coach, 'I like seeing my own numbers go up.'

Green et al. (1987) ran a similar plan ten years earlier, but with severely disabled adults in a sheltered workshop. Their workers also learned faster each time a new task was added. The 1997 study shows the same idea now works in regular restaurants, not just protected rooms.

White et al. (1990) tried a self-praise package in a residential facility. Two workers improved, yet one worker slowed down. The restaurant study found gains for both women, hinting that real jobs with tips and public customers may give stronger natural rewards than sheltered settings.

Baker et al. (2005) later tracked many adults and saw that simply entering competitive jobs raised adaptive skills. The 1997 paper explains one practical way to make that entry happen: teach the worker to watch and reward her own pace.

You can add a tiny self-count step to any job routine. Give the worker a clicker, a sticky note, or a phone tally. Let her set a daily goal and mark success herself. This single move can lift output, please managers, and keep people with ID in valued community jobs instead of sheltered placements.