Abstract
Statement of Problem: Formal research is limited on teaching adults with intellectual disabilities social skills, as are the services available. The direct purpose of this study is to increase participants’ social skills with recreational therapy based interventions. Secondarily, it serves as a contribution to the body of research on the discussion of recreational therapy as an effective professional practice with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.-- Sources of Data: Eight participants in this study were students in Sacramento County Special Education or City of Sacramento Unified School District Transition Programs housed on Sacramento State University’s campus, and two were teachers of the programs. Data collected from and on the student participants yielded eight pre- and eight post- assessments each, for the Shake Hands Survey (SHS) and the Home and Community Behavior Scales (HCBS). -- Conclusions Reached: HCBS assessment scores were improved but not statistically significant, while the SHS scores were both improved and statistically significant. Overall, self-reports collected on the SHS showed that participants felt they gained skills and knowledge from SHC. These compiled results suggest that while skills and knowledge were gained in the classroom, they were not successfully generalized to other contexts.