A Systematic Review of Vocational Preference Assessment Research by Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

Objectives

Individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) may have limited vocational preference choice making opportunities. The utility of vocational preference assessments (VPA) is receiving more attention. The purpose of this review was to evaluate VPA research and assess study characteristics, participant characteristics, VPA procedures, validation of VPAs, acquisition of vocational skills, generalization, maintenance, and social validity.

Method

A systematic review of peer-reviewed vocational preference research using PsycINFO and ERIC databases. Inclusionary criteria required articles to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, in English, have keywords related to vocation and preference within titles, abstracts, or key words, include at least one participant diagnosed with a developmental disability, intellectual disability, or an IQ below 70, and a primary purpose of assessing vocational preference (either direct or indirect measures) and/ or correspondence with preference and vocational performance.

Results

Thirty articles published between 1978–2023 were reviewed. We found that VPA research included participants with a range of ages and diagnoses. The majority of VPAs have been conducted using a paired-choice format and have included a range of stimulus modalities (e.g., pictures and videos). Limitations include inadequate descriptions of participant repertoires, varied terminology or criteria to identify preferred tasks, and few formal evaluations of skill acquisition.

Conclusions

This review shows s range of procedures have successfully identified vocational preferences for individuals with DD. Additional research is needed to enhance emerging (e.g., necessity of contingent access) and limited areas (e.g., role of history on preference) within VPA literature.