Teaching Early Reading Skills to Adults With Intellectual Disabilities Using a Support Worker/Family Carer Mediated...

Area of Science:

• Disability Studies
• Educational Technology
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Limited research exists on reading interventions for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Online reading programs offer a potential avenue for skill development in this population.
• Feasibility of delivering interventions via support workers and family carers needs investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of delivering an online reading program (Headsprout) with support strategies to adults with intellectual disabilities.
• To evaluate the feasibility of conducting a large-scale effectiveness trial in the future.
• To explore the role of support workers and family carers in intervention delivery.

Main Methods:

• A 2-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) design was employed.
• A mixed-methods approach was used for an embedded process evaluation.
• Informed consent and data collection were conducted remotely.

Main Results:

• Thirty-six adults with intellectual disabilities were recruited for the study.
• While recruitment and retention criteria were met, intervention adherence and fidelity were suboptimal.
• Significant barriers included pressure on support services.

Conclusions:

• A large-scale effectiveness trial was not recommended at this time.
• The successful execution of an RCT and remote data acquisition demonstrates potential for increased research participation.
• This approach can help include under-represented groups in future research endeavors.