Enhancing classroom participation of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy
Published online on September 13, 2016
Abstract
Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have been found to participate less in school-based activities.
This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a combined in-service and collaborative consultation intervention model for enhancing classroom participation of students with IDD.
The Collaborative Consultation for Participation of Students With IDD (Co-PID) program involved a multidisciplinary team (an occupational therapist and 17 teachers) as well as 35 students and was compared to an in-service program (20 teachers and 34 students). Students were 8 to 20 years old. The programs aimed to enhance three classroom participation components: communicating, choosing, and initiating.
The Co-PID was found to significantly improve students’ participation in all areas, whereas the participation of the students in the in-service group decreased.
A school-based multidisciplinary intervention program for students with IDD, combining in-service and collaborative consultation (e.g., Co-PID), may assist in enhancing classroom participation among students with IDD.