TITLE:
Self-Pereception of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
AUTHORS:
Mary Rita Welle
KEYWORDS:
Self-Perception; Adults with Disabilities; SSKAAT-R; Social Interactions; Role Theory
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Applied Sociology,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
23,
2014
ABSTRACT: Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) may view
themselves as children; indeed they are often treated in a childlike manner by
others. Some may develop a self-perception that they are minors and view
children more as peers. Using data from this author’s (Smith, 2006) unpublished
dissertation, developmental self-perception is explored by using a subset of questions from the SSKAAT-R
instrument (Griffiths & Lunsky, 2003).
This study discusses how some adults with IDD self-identify as more closely
resembling children. A total of 26 adults with IDD, 17 males and nine females,
were involved. With IRB
approval, questions that would assess understanding regarding perception of
self (along with a follow-up question regarding sexual attraction) were posed.
Of the 26 participants, 73% self-identified as more closely resembling adults, whereas the remaining 27%
self-identified as more closely resembling children.