Systematic Review of Vocational Preferences on Behavioral Outcomes of Individuals with Disabilities

Assessing performance of individuals with disabilities in relation to their preferences is a method of determining the social validity of practices. The benefits of using vocational preferences on related behavioral outcomes of individuals with disabilities such as task completion, challenging behavior, and indices of happiness, have been explored through several studies. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the effects of preference for certain vocational activities on performance outcomes for individuals with disabilities. A comprehensive search resulted in a total of 16 included studies. Studies were analyzed according to (a) participant characteristics (e.g., diagnosis, age), (b) setting, (c) work tasks, (d) service provider, (e) experimental design or observational method, (f) preference assessment method, (g) independent variable, and (h) outcomes. Studies were appraised with quality indicators for single-case research. While outcomes were primarily positive in support of incorporating preferred vocational conditions, quality indicators were generally lacking and there are numerous areas calling for future research.