Systematic Review on Environmental Design for Adaptive and Problem Behaviors of People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

OBJECTIVES

The presented systematic review explores the empirical studies regarding environmental design strategies that support adaptive behaviors while improving problem behaviors of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

BACKGROUND

People with IDD perceive and interact with their environment differently from people without disabilities. Design research has not always considered these differences, and environmental design solutions are not commonly found.

METHODS

The review process followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocols. The study reports the findings from the systematic review of 32 peer-reviewed studies published in EBSCO, ERIC, ProQuest, PsycINFO, MEDLINE CINAHL, Consumer Health Complete (EBSCOhost), and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection between 1990 and 2020. In addition, quality assessment tools appraised the study's quality.

RESULTS

The review identified 26 design strategies. Five themes qualitatively organized these environmental attributes: coherence, affordance, control, stimulation, and restoration.

CONCLUSION

The evidence indicates that adequately designed physical environments can support the adaptive behaviors of people with IDD while alleviating behavioral problems. Design features not supported by strong empirical evidence should be further addressed in future studies.