The Role of Social Competence in the Community Adjustment of Persons with Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

This paper reviews literature and professional practices which affect the community adjustment and adaptation of developmentally disabled persons. The role of social competence in determining satisfactory adjustments to community-based vocational and residential settings by adult persons with developmental disabilities is explored. The paper is divided into five sections. Section one briefly reviews the community adjustment status of persons with developmental disabilities. Section two discusses the construct of social competence in terms of definitional issues and social validation approaches within community-based vocational and residential settings. Section three describes three types of adjustment (behavioral, social, personal) that are considered important to successful community adaptation. Section four reviews the consequences that accrue to developmentally disabled persons from adjustment failure in vocational and residential settings. Finally, section five advocates for adoption of a social ecological approach in the study of community adjustment for developmentally disabled persons and presents a series of recommendations governing future efforts in this area.