title: The Benefits of Supporting the Autonomy of Individuals with Mild Intellectual Disabilities: An Experimental Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The benefits of autonomy support with the general population have been demonstrated numerous times. However, little research has been conducted to verify if these benefits apply to people with special needs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The goal of the study was to examine whether autonomy support (AS) can foster the sense of autonomy of people with a mild intellectual disabilities (MIDs) and improve their experience while engaging in an important but unpleasant learning activity. This experiment compares the effects of two contexts: with and without AS. All participants (N = 51) had a mild intellectual disability and were recruited from rehabilitation centres.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to participants in the control group, participants in the AS group tended to experience greater autonomy satisfaction and tended to perceive more value to the activity. They were also significantly more engaged in it, and they experienced a steeper decrease in anxiety over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that the benefits of AS extend to individuals with mild intellectual disability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin C. P. 6128, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, (Québec) H3C 3J7, Canada.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Emond Pelletier
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin C. P. 6128, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, (Québec) H3C 3J7, Canada.
authors.forename: Mireille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joussemet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D019989:Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: autonomy support; engagement; internalization; mild intellectual disability; self-determination; well-being