Spillover effects: impact of vocational training on the lives of severely mentally retarded clients
Gersten, R.; Crowell, F.; Bellamy, T.
American Journal of Mental Deficiency 90(5): 501-506
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9351 PMID: 3953682 Document Number: 281913
The effects of vocational training on the lives of 22 severely mentally retarded adults were examined. Although no training time was devoted to social skills or independent living skills, we hypothesized that the work experience would have some impact on how the clients were perceived by caretakers and on how clients behaved in social settings. Three instruments were used: a naturalistic observation of leisure behavior, the Becker Adjective Checklist, and the Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS). No significant growth was observed for the entire sample on any of the dependent measures; however, secondary analyses revealed significant growth on three measures (perceived competence on the Becker Adjective Checklist and the ABS factor scores of Independence and Social Responsibility) for those clients who were most successful in vocational training.