Contribution of a post-secondary academic enrichment program on cognitive abilities of adults with severe intellectual disability and extensive support needs : an explorative study

We investigated the impact of participating in post-secondary university education (PSE) of students with severe intellectual disability and extensive support needs (SIDESN) on their academic knowledge compared to controls who did not participate in PSE; whether a "near" transfer effect to basic crystallized and fluid abilities would be found; the contribution of background characteristics and crystallized and fluid abilities to their academic knowledge.

Method: Nine adults with SIDESN (aged 27-58) participated in an "Introduction to Sociology" course using the Ecological Model of four mediational strategies. A battery of academic knowledge tests, including the Bloom taxonomy and crystallized and fluid abilities, was administered to the PSE and non-PSE groups (aged 22-47) at Time 1 and after one year (Time 2). 

Findings: ANOVAs indicated improvement in knowledge and a "near transfer" to crystallized and fluid tests in the PSE group at Time 2, versus no change or a decline in the controls. Chronological age and the PSE program contributed to the EPV of the improvement in the knowledge test.  

Conclusions: Despite the small sample size, the findings indicate that academic PSE programs hold a potential for improving cognitive abilities of adults with SIDESN, supporting the Compensation Age Theory, the Enrichment Theory, and the Ecological Model.