Changes following community living skills training: a controlled study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Special Education
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Learning disability presents challenges in community living.
• Effective training programs are crucial for independent living.
• Evaluating different training methodologies is essential for optimizing outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of in vivo training versus classroom techniques for community living skills in adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities.
• To assess the impact of different training methods on adaptive behavior.
• To determine if training modality influences successful community placement.

Main Methods:

• A community living skills training program was implemented with 57 adults.
• Participants were divided into three groups: in vivo training (n=29), classroom training (n=13), and a no-treatment control (n=15).
• Assessments measured community living skills and adaptive behavior.

Main Results:

• The in vivo training group demonstrated significantly superior performance in community living skills and adaptive behavior compared to the classroom and control groups.
• This performance difference correlated with successful community placement.
• Classroom training did not yield significantly better results than the control group.

Conclusions:

• In vivo training is a highly effective method for enhancing community living skills and adaptive behaviors in adults with learning disabilities.
• The findings support the use of immersive, real-world training for improving independence and community integration.
• Further research should explore long-term maintenance of skills and broader applicability.