The Effectiveness of Professional Skills Training on Social Skills and Adaptive Behavior of Male Adolescents and Youth with an Intellectual and Developmental Disability

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of professional skills training on social skills and adaptive behavior of male adolescents and youth with an Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD). The research method was a quasi-experimental and pretest-posttest with a control group design. The sample consisted of 30 patients with an intellectual and developmental disability referred to the Ravanpooyesh center of Mashhad. Fifteen participants who were assigned in the experimental group received professional skills training for three month and fifteen participants who were assigned in control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected using Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) rating scales (Gresham & Elliott, 1990) and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS; 1980) before and after the intervention. Data were then analyzed using MANCOVA. The results showed that in the post test, participants who received professional skills training significantly showed higher social skills scores and adaptive behavior, compared to participants in the control group. Based on the findings of the present study, it is concluded that professional skills training can improve social skills and adaptive behaviors of adolescents and youth with an intellectual and developmental disability.