Environmental Design & Adaptive Skills

Yi, Y. & Ellis, N.
Submitted in Social Sciences & Humanities Open (SSHO)

Objectives

This study examines the relationship between environmental factors and the target adaptive skills of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in educational settings.

Background

People with IDD perceive and interact with their environment differently from people without disabilities. Design research has not always considered these differences.

Methods

168 caregivers and educators participated in an online survey. The survey consisted of the Environmental Evaluation (EE) and Performance Measure (PM), which measure environmental attributes and target adaptive skills, respectively.

Results

Factor analyses categorized the 26 environmental items into four components: affordance, restoration, control, and coherence. Multiple regression results supported that the identified environmental items were positively related to students’ adaptive skills when their disability levels were controlled. Specifically, restorative features were associated with conceptual/practical skills, and the controllable characteristics were relevant to social skills.

Conclusion

This study provides a set of evidence-based design guidelines for people with IDD, which are positively associated with the adaptive skills of people with IDD.

---