Sibling training for early future planning (step) project for adult siblings of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A pilot study

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are having increasingly longer lives. Their families often face challenges with sustained caregiving. Thus, future planning is a key issue for families of individuals with IDD. Given that many siblings expect to be caregivers for their brothers and sisters with IDD, it is important to support siblings during the transition to caregiving roles. However, there are few interventions supporting siblings of individuals with IDD with regard to future planning. In this study, I examined the effect and social validity of a four-week future planning training intervention (i.e., Sibling Training for Early future Planning, STEP) on increasing: future planning activities; communication and problem-solving among family members of individuals with IDD; empowerment; knowledge of adult service delivery systems; and connectedness among siblings of individuals with IDD. Eleven participants were included in this single arm, intervention study. After completing the STEP program, participants demonstrated significantly increased: knowledge of adult service delivery systems; family communication; sibling connectedness and empowerment. In addition, participants were satisfied with the logistics of the training and met their expectations for the training. To attribute changes in outcomes to the STEP program, a randomized controlled trial design should be conducted in future research.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Special Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2019

Author dc:creator

• Lee, Chung Eun

Contributors dc:contributor

• Burke, Meghan M
• Santos, Rosa M
• Meadan-Kaplansky, Hedda
• Channell, Marie M

• Siblings of individuals with disabilities

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2019 Chung eun Lee

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/104985

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/104985