The Effects of Self-Management Interventions on Behaviors of Students with Disabilities
Carla Brito
Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation
College: College of Education
Major: Special Education: Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Faculty Research Mentor: Daphna El Roy
Abstract:
Self-management interventions promote independence, improve academic performance, and encourage positive behaviors in students, including those with disabilities. These strategies help students regulate their own actions using tools like self-monitoring, goal-setting, and self-reinforcement. Research has shown that when applied correctly, self-management interventions improve focus, increase task completion, and foster independence in students (Aljadeff-Abergel et al., 2015). To explore their use and effectiveness in real-world settings, existing research was reviewed, and educators and related service providers were surveyed in this study. A total of 20 professionals were invited to participate, and 19 completed the survey. Responses showed that 88.9% of participants had inclusion experience, and 50% worked in general education settings. The survey also measured how often self-management strategies were reportedly used and how effective they were rated on a Likert scale. The self-management intervention that most (83.3%) participants used or observed in use was visual schedules and checklists, and 80% rated them as effective or very effective. In contrast, tactile tools such as the MotivAider were the least-used strategy, by only 5.6% of participants. These findings show that while some self-management interventions are widely used, others remain underutilized, emphasizing the importance of increasing access to effective interventions that help students develop self-regulation and independence.