Date of Award
Spring 4-23-2025
Document Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Steven M. Gerardi, PhD, OTD, MSS, OTR, Doctoral Capstone Coordinator
Second Advisor
Erik Perez, OTD, OTR, capstone mentor
Medical Subject Headings
Humans, Developmental disabilities, Longevity, Occupational therapy, Independent living, Communication, Language, Cognition
Abstract
Over one percent of the world has intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Many of these people lack the living skills needed to live independently. Direct support professionals (DSPs) are people who provide daily assistance, care, and support to improve the wellbeing and quality of life among people with IDD. DSPs often have minimal training to perform their role, especially in support of the development of independent living skills. Independent living skills are adaptive behavioral competencies related to self-sufficiency, with focus on conceptual skills such as language abilities, social skills including interpersonal and social problem-solving, and practical skills that relate to self-care, activities of daily living, health, and safety. The availability of resources to guide DSPs in the teaching of independent living skills is limited. Problem: DSPs lack knowledge and training on how to deliver independent living skills training in people with IDD. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to create an evidence-based teaching guide for DSPs to develop independent living skills in people with IDD. The Independent Living Skills Teaching Guide was developed as a resource for DSPs. it contains activity plans to develop independent living skills, communication skills, and activity modifications based on cognitive and motor abilities. The guide was also designed to be expandable by DSPs to ensure longevity in relevancy. The capstone project sheds light on how the field of occupational therapy can support DSPs’ endeavors to better the lives of their clients with IDD.
Recommended Citation
Yeo, N. (2025). Developing Independent Living Skills in People With Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities: A Guide for Direct Support Professionals. [Doctoral project, University of St Augustine for Health Sciences]. SOAR @ USA: Student Capstone Papers Collection. https://doi.org/10.46409/sr.LFXV2346
Related Content
This capstone was presented as a poster presentation at the Spring 2025OTD Capstone Symposium, available as: Yeo, N., & Gerardi, S. (2025, April 9). An Independent Living Skills Training Guide for Direct Support Professionals Working With People With Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities. Poster presented at the Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, University of St Augustine for Health Sciences. Retrieved from https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/41
Comments
Capstone project submitted to the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Occupational Therapy.