Supporting the Development of Competences Necessary for the Independent Living of People With Profound Disorders of Intellectual Development: An Empirical Study

Objectives of the research: The goal of the research was to identify the type and extent of activities that special education facilities engage in to teach and promote independence in people with profound disorders of intellectual development. Research methods: Empirical material was collected u...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ewelina Sobocha, Małgorzata Pietrzak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Ignatianum University Press 2023-12-01
Series:Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://czasopisma.ignatianum.edu.pl/jpe/article/view/2472
_version_ 1797371070173413376
author Ewelina Sobocha
Małgorzata Pietrzak
author_facet Ewelina Sobocha
Małgorzata Pietrzak
author_sort Ewelina Sobocha
collection DOAJ
description Objectives of the research: The goal of the research was to identify the type and extent of activities that special education facilities engage in to teach and promote independence in people with profound disorders of intellectual development. Research methods: Empirical material was collected using the author’s original online questionnaire, which consisted of 30 questions measuring the extent to which students’ needs for developing independent living skills are met. The survey was conducted among special education teachers (N=642) from seven European countries (Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey). A short description of the context of the issue: Independent living is widely seen as an immanent attribute of adulthood. Children and adolescents are prepared for independent living through the process of upbringing and socialization; people with disabilities are additionally prepared through rehabilitation. For people with a profound disorder of intellectual development, independent living is challenging but possible with the right support. Research findings: The results indicate that in the course of developing independent living skills in people with profound disorders of intellectual development, efforts are mainly made to improve their self-management skills and democratic management methods in both team work and individual work. Conclusions and recommendations: In the surveyed countries, there is a tendency to limit work for developing independent living skills to a single type of intervention. Rarely are two or three methods – not to mention four – simultaneously used to stimulate the development of independent living skills. It is therefore necessary to call for increased efforts to promote independent living among people with profound disorders of intellectual development and to focus this support on autonomy, self-determination, achieving quality of life goals, and, above all, the ability to make decisions – since this is what determines true independence in life.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T18:13:35Z
format Article
id doaj.art-48ac8ebcc3224d1392fe35cd94c5be45
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2543-7585
2543-8409
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T18:13:35Z
publishDate 2023-12-01
publisher Ignatianum University Press
record_format Article
series Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education
spelling doaj.art-48ac8ebcc3224d1392fe35cd94c5be452023-12-31T17:03:09ZengIgnatianum University PressMultidisciplinary Journal of School Education2543-75852543-84092023-12-01122 (24)10.35765/mjse.2023.1224.18Supporting the Development of Competences Necessary for the Independent Living of People With Profound Disorders of Intellectual Development: An Empirical StudyEwelina Sobocha0Małgorzata Pietrzak1Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu - National Louis University w Nowym SączuJagiellonian University, Krakow Objectives of the research: The goal of the research was to identify the type and extent of activities that special education facilities engage in to teach and promote independence in people with profound disorders of intellectual development. Research methods: Empirical material was collected using the author’s original online questionnaire, which consisted of 30 questions measuring the extent to which students’ needs for developing independent living skills are met. The survey was conducted among special education teachers (N=642) from seven European countries (Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey). A short description of the context of the issue: Independent living is widely seen as an immanent attribute of adulthood. Children and adolescents are prepared for independent living through the process of upbringing and socialization; people with disabilities are additionally prepared through rehabilitation. For people with a profound disorder of intellectual development, independent living is challenging but possible with the right support. Research findings: The results indicate that in the course of developing independent living skills in people with profound disorders of intellectual development, efforts are mainly made to improve their self-management skills and democratic management methods in both team work and individual work. Conclusions and recommendations: In the surveyed countries, there is a tendency to limit work for developing independent living skills to a single type of intervention. Rarely are two or three methods – not to mention four – simultaneously used to stimulate the development of independent living skills. It is therefore necessary to call for increased efforts to promote independent living among people with profound disorders of intellectual development and to focus this support on autonomy, self-determination, achieving quality of life goals, and, above all, the ability to make decisions – since this is what determines true independence in life. https://czasopisma.ignatianum.edu.pl/jpe/article/view/2472independent livingintellectual disabilityquality of lifesupportspecial education teachers
spellingShingle Ewelina Sobocha
Małgorzata Pietrzak
Supporting the Development of Competences Necessary for the Independent Living of People With Profound Disorders of Intellectual Development: An Empirical Study
Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education
independent living
intellectual disability
quality of life
support
special education teachers
title Supporting the Development of Competences Necessary for the Independent Living of People With Profound Disorders of Intellectual Development: An Empirical Study
title_full Supporting the Development of Competences Necessary for the Independent Living of People With Profound Disorders of Intellectual Development: An Empirical Study
title_fullStr Supporting the Development of Competences Necessary for the Independent Living of People With Profound Disorders of Intellectual Development: An Empirical Study
title_full_unstemmed Supporting the Development of Competences Necessary for the Independent Living of People With Profound Disorders of Intellectual Development: An Empirical Study
title_short Supporting the Development of Competences Necessary for the Independent Living of People With Profound Disorders of Intellectual Development: An Empirical Study
title_sort supporting the development of competences necessary for the independent living of people with profound disorders of intellectual development an empirical study
topic independent living
intellectual disability
quality of life
support
special education teachers
url https://czasopisma.ignatianum.edu.pl/jpe/article/view/2472
work_keys_str_mv AT ewelinasobocha supportingthedevelopmentofcompetencesnecessaryfortheindependentlivingofpeoplewithprofounddisordersofintellectualdevelopmentanempiricalstudy
AT małgorzatapietrzak supportingthedevelopmentofcompetencesnecessaryfortheindependentlivingofpeoplewithprofounddisordersofintellectualdevelopmentanempiricalstudy