Entry 2: Refining my Ideas: Some Interesting Literature and Relevant Research

Entry 2: Refining my Ideas

 Some Interesting Literature and Relevant Research

My Path to Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

My professional path, from the onset of my career, has consistently led me to students with special needs. I began my career with at-risk youth in high school. These were the students who engaged in high risk activities and were frequently removed from classes. I then had the opportunity to work with gifted students in Mexico, which presented its own set of pedagogical adjustments to foster to the students' needs. Fast forward to 2017, I began to teach Adults with special needs. 

My greatest fear when I learned that I would be working with this group of students: that my pedagogical methods would be poorly suited to meeting their learning needs. As any good teacher would do, I started looking for resources. What I found: Balloons, puppies and unicorns. Perhaps they three weren't in every resource together, but ultimately, most resources for special needs students were childish in content. This was alarming to me, as I felt it was necessary to treat them  like adults.  Perhaps, I should have done some more reputable research, but with a program to learn, a curriculum to rebuild, resources to create and students to teach, I was drowning. 

This is why I am taking the opportunity to pursue this special topic. I am looking at what motivates adults with special needs to learn. I have used and seen so many behaviour charts, reward economies, and methods usually associated to motivating elementary school-aged student, that I wonder if teachers of social integration are really doing the students a disservice by using these methods. If our goal is to integrate them within our community, perhaps it is better to motivate them in ways that will continue to be reinforced. That being said, such systems are also used in the workforce. I was deemed "Teacher of the Year" once, and it felt pretty darn good. 

So ultimately, I will be looking at different teaching methods and the types of motivation they target. 

My Research Thus Far

Ok, so we'll start with a less formal approach to my topic so that you can maybe understand where my passion comes from. Here is Payton's story, told through his mother's eyes.

This informative video was created by a mother concerned for her adult son's future - with a little side of fundraising in mind. The video shows an organization that is socio-constructivist in its approach. The participants develop work skills within a vocational community, creating different products, which they subsequently sell. Although this is not an academic peer reviewed article, I did feel that it was worthy of sharing with you, my reader and colleagues. Perhaps this can inspire some pedagogical approaches in your future?

It may not be surprising to other special needs teachers that few resources exist for adults with IDD. This lack of information is also reflected in the literature and research, where there are a number of gaps, surrounding the topic of adults with IDD.

Finding research that specifically targets the motivation of adults with IDD is a grand task. First and foremost, there are many groups that fall under the huge umbrella of "special needs" which is why I focus on adults with IDD. A number of conditions fall within that category as well. In order to find the information I am looking for, it seems that I will have to accept looking at research targeted broadly at the category of special needs or IDD, as well as specifically carried out on adults with Autism.

I've got quite a bit of reading to do. I've included the resources that I deemed most relevant to my topic. I will report on these readings in my next entry as I continue to reflect on my topic and narrow my research.

On my next round of research, I may have to look at teaching practices and interpret the motivating factors used within them.

Do you have thoughts? Comments? Questions? Concerns? Please leave me a comment or a suggestion. I would love to hear what you have to share.

Thanks for your attention,
Kim

Resources*

Faith and Flour. (2019, July 18).  Our autism story / Finding a program for adults with special needs / when high school ends [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-53mC6cOCqY

Frielink, N., Schuengel, C., & Embregts, P. J. C. M. (2018). Autonomy support, need satisfaction, and motiation for support among adults with intellectual disability: Testing a self-determination theory model.  American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 123 (1), 22 - 49.

Goldfarb, Y., Gal, E., & Golan, O. (2019). A conflict of interests: A motivational perspective on special interests and employment success of adults with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49 (2019), 3915 - 3923. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04098-7 

Siu, A. M. H., Lin, Z., & Chung, J. (2019). An evaluation of the TEACCH approach for teaching functional skills to adults with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 90 (2019), 14-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2019.04.006

(*) Please note that the online platform is not allowing me to format the references according the the 7th edition of the APA guide.