3C Institute
Employment is essential for individuals with intellectual disabilities to achieve independence, financial security, and self-sufficiency — so that they can be active members in the community and achieve a higher quality of life. However, research-based support is lacking for students with autism spectrum disorder and other intellectual disabilities after high school, while existing support programs often face reduced budgets and increased service requests. Unfortunately, only 25% of individuals with intellectual disabilities are employed two years after high school.
Using 3C Institute’s dynamic e-learning platform (DeLP), WORK (Web-based Occupational Resource Kit) is the first self-paced, adaptive job skills intervention designed specifically to meet the learning styles and social and emotional needs of students with intellectual disabilities. With Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding, this Phase I project supported initial development of a fully functioning software prototype of WORK, as well as feasibility testing with educators and usability testing with students with intellectual disabilities. Continued research and development in Phase II will demonstrate the effectiveness of this online, interactive learning and practice environment, providing an intuitive and feasible product for educators. WORK strengthens the home-school connection with integrated resources, reports, and easily shared activities, and supports implementation with online professional development tools.
WORK’s software monitors each student’s performance to adjust the difficulty of interactive tasks and provide a scaffold for learning, and provides individualized reports for practice and self-assessment.
Live actors on video will demonstrate various ways for students to address likely challenges. Animated segments will support key ideas and engage students.
Students will be able to practice skills with a variety of interactive exercises, including game-based animated scenes, branching role plays, and visualization tools.
Educators will monitor assignment completion and generate student performance reports. Reports will include an interpretive section and personalized suggestions for additional intervention strategies.
Dr. Childress obtained her PhD in psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to 3C Institute, she served as a research associate and a postdoctoral fellow in the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill working on a longitudinal imaging study aimed at identifying the early markers of autism through behavioral and imaging methodologies. She has 19 years of autism research experience, during which she has examined the behavioral, personality, and cognitive characteristics of individuals with autism and their family members. Dr. Childress also has experience developing behavioral and parent report measurement tools, coordinating multi-site research studies, and collecting data from children and families. She has taught courses and seminars in general child development, autism, and cognitive development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
