Effective employability training for people with disabilities depends on selecting the right instructional methods tailored to the individual’s needs and the specific skills they need to succeed in the workplace.
Instructional Methods for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Gilson and colleagues (2017) systematically reviewed 56 studies investigating how to teach job skills to secondary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). The authors found teaching methods and the amount of instruction to vary widely across interventions, and many studies did not provide detailed information about these factors. However, the authors were able to identify 21 instructional practices which they grouped into eight different intervention approaches. For each of these approaches, the research showed positive or strong results in improving target skills. These included job-specific skills (e.g., packaging items or answering phones), socialization and conversation skills, question asking, task engagement, and task completion. The effectiveness of these approaches was consistent across different participants, settings, and outcomes.
In 2022, Gilson and colleagues further reviewed these strategies and approaches, providing examples for which they may be useful. Below, you’ll see a table summarizing the approaches they identified in their second review. It is important to note that most training programs will likely use a mix of these approaches within the same lessons, See the table below to view the approaches that resulted from their second review. According to Gilson et al. (2022), in-person training usually combines several methods, including direct instruction (where a teacher gives clear explanations), simulation (where learners practice in a controlled environment), and peer instruction (where learners work together and teach each other).
| Approach | Description | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Self-management instruction | Learners use a system that can be operated by the learner when an instructor is not present (e.g., auditory prompting, self-monitoring checklist, goal setting) | - Practicing and refining newly acquired skills - Further facilitating independence |
| Video-based instruction | Using videos to model skills and/or provide prompts and feedback | - Teaching employment skills to learners who are able to imitate behaviors - Practicing previously learned skills that may need to be refreshed |
| Audio-based instruction | Covert prompting, cues, and correction or job task reminders (e.g., a buzzer that goes off when it is time to switch tasks) | - Job coaching - Independent on-the-job support |
| Picture and tactile-based instruction | Using pictures or symbols to prompt and cue next steps in job tasks | - Providing cues and prompting next steps in job tasks |
| Direct instruction | Involves having an instructor present and delivering instruction | - Teaching and developing new job skills |
| Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)-assisted instruction | Teaching learners to use AAC devices to complete job tasks and/or improve social communication skills | - Useful when working with people who use AAC devices - Can be used to promote communication or complete work-related tasks |
| Simulation instruction | Teaching a specific skill in one setting and evaluating it in a second (e.g., teaching individuals how to wrap silverware in the classroom and then evaluating their performance in a restaurant during community-based instruction) | - Modeling job skills - Practicing skills in the classroom before attempting them at the job site |
| Peer-delivered instruction | Using peers in the natural setting (i.e., people who interact with the individual in the workplace on a regular basis, but who do not have an explicit obligation to provide support.) | - Teaching new skills - Refining previously learned skills |
Effective Use of Approaches
Self-management techniques have been found to be helpful in maximizing independence for people with disabilities (Anderson et al., 2017). Barczak and Cannella-Malone (2021) found self-management techniques to be highly effective in increasing on-task behavior, completing tasks, and demonstrating appropriate social and communication skills. They also noted that self-management approaches were often combined with auditory, pictorial, or video-based technologies. The authors also note that although self-management approaches are highly effective in improving job performance, they may not be as helpful for getting a job in the first place (Barczak and Cannella-Malone, 2021).
Video-based approaches have been found to be effective in teaching job interviewing skills, job performance skills, and some social communication skills (e.g., making requests, responding appropriately to greetings; Munandar et al., 2020). The authors also stated that video-based methods are most effective when paired with other learning activities, like written instructions or in-person feedback.
Instructional Methods for People with Severe Disabilities
Birri et al. (2022) investigated which skills were most beneficial for people with severe disabilities. They then matched the best teaching methods to teaching the most important skills. The skills they identified as being most important for people with disabilities were conversation skills, requests for assistance, and appropriate verbalizations.
Conversation Skills
The authors considered this skill to include things such as: starting conversations, using a variety of conversation topics, duration of conversations, and taking conversational turns. The instruction methods that had the biggest impact on this skill were performance feedback, simulations, verbal instruction, system of least prompts, and AAC-assisted instruction.
Requests for Assistance
According to authors, this skill includes things such as how often requests for help are made and appropriate requests for help. The instructional methods that most increased ability in this skill area were performance feedback, modeling, and verbal instruction.
Appropriate Verbalizations
The authors identified this skill to include things such as frequency of inappropriate responses to coworker behaviors, as well as inappropriate speech, singing, or humming. The methods that most impacted this skill area were modeling, system of least prompts, and constant time delay.
Conclusion
This article discusses some of the specific intervention approaches commonly used in employability training for people with disabilities. Other sources qualify this, noting there are “few systematic differences between the programs that served young adults on the autism spectrum and those that did not” (Wissel et al., 2022, pp. 11). Birri et al. (2022) investigated what skill areas were most important for people with “severe disabilities” to develop, and then mapped which training components were most effective in building those skills. Trainers should consider what they want trainees to be able to do after the training, and then select instructional approaches that will be most effective at accomplishing that.
References
Anderson, K. A., Sosnowy, C., Kuo, A. A., & Shattuck, P. T. (2018). Transition of individuals with autism to adulthood: A review of qualitative studies. Pediatrics, 141(4), 318-327. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-4300I
Barczak, M. A., & Cannella-Malone, H. I. (2021). Self-management of vocational skills for people with significant intellectual disabilities: A systematic review. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 26(2), 470-490. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629520987768
Birri, N. L., Dymond, S. K., & Rooney-Kron, M. (2022). Systematic review of interventions for teaching individuals with severe disabilities workplace social skills. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 57(4), 371-391.
Gilson, C. B., Carter, E. W., & Biggs, E. E. (2017). Systematic review of instructional methods to teach employment skills to secondary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 42, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796917698831
Gilson, C. B., Whirley, M. L., Carter, E. W., & Schutz, M. A. (2022). Teaching employment skills to people with intellectual and developmental disability. In J. L. Matson & P. Sturmey (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorder (pp. 1559-1579). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1008/978-3-030-88538-0_69
Munandar, V. D., Morningstar, M. E., & Carlson, S. R. (2020). A systematic literature review of video-based interventions to improve integrated competitive employment skills among youth and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 53, 29-41. https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-201083
Wissel, S., Shenk, M. & Rice, M. (2022). Programs, models, and strategies to support employment outcomes of young adults on the autism spectrum: A review of the literature. Center for Studying Disability Policy. Mathematica, Inc.
