Review articlePreparing for Adulthood: A Systematic Review of Life Skill Programs for Youth with Physical Disabilities
Section snippets
Methods
A systematic review was undertaken to provide an unbiased and comprehensive summary of the best available evidence regarding life skill development among youth with physical disabilities. By using explicit and reproducible methods, a systematic review allows for more accurate and reliable conclusions; increased generalizability; and increased power and precision in estimating effect size when compared with a traditional literature review [14].
Results
The search strategy identified 5642 documents. Screening of titles and abstracts eliminated 5621 documents. Studies were excluded if there was no emphasis on life skill development, or the sample did not fit with the age group or type of disability for this project (e.g., developmental or learning disability). Studies were also excluded if there was no program evaluation found or if the focus was on the validation of tools related to measuring life skills. A total of 21 full-text unique
Discussion
The findings of this systematic review of the literature provide some support for the use of multi-component interventions as a means of developing life skills among youth with physical disabilities. With the exception of one study, short-term improvements in life skills were reported regardless of the skill focus, physical disability examined, or outcome measure used [12], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24]. More specifically, a self-designed program for visually impaired youth demonstrated that a
Acknowledgment
The authors thank Pui-Ying Wong for her assistance in the development of the search strategy.
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2019, Journal of AdolescenceCitation Excerpt :Life skills programs provide critical skill development for youth with disabilities. These programs include a standardized curriculum that encompasses group learning, one-to-one support, role-playing, informal and formal peer mentorship, and experiential learning opportunities (Kingsnorth, Healy, & Macarthur, 2007). Life skills programs thus enable youth with disabilities to develop “skills needed for surviving, living with others, succeeding in a complex society” (Hamburg, 1990, p. 3).
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2018, Research in Developmental DisabilitiesCitation Excerpt :There were approximately equal numbers of instructional (n = 55) and experiential (n = 52) session formats, and the activity settings were mostly skill-based (n = 58; 54.2%) or self-improvement (n = 33; 30.8%), attesting to the learning-oriented and skill-based nature of the program. Session topics were varied, reflecting topics addressed in many life skills programs (Kingsnorth, Healy, & Macarthur, 2007). The majority of the active physical activity settings were experiential in nature (15/16; 94%); the self-improvement activity settings were mainly instructional (23/33; 70%); and the skill-based activity settings were a mix of instructional (31/58; 53%) and experiential (27/58; 47%).
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