The Effect of a Comprehensive Intervention Program Based on the World Health Organization’s Functional Assessment Outcomes on Communication Skills and Behavioral Problems in Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

Objective: The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of a comprehensive intervention program based on the World Health Organization’s functional assessment outcomes on the communication skills and behavioral problems of adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Methods and Materials: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest–posttest design and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all male adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities in Gilan Province during the 2020–2021 academic year. The sample included 30 adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities residing in small group homes for individuals with intellectual disabilities under the supervision of the Welfare Organization. They were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Participants in both groups completed the pretest before the intervention. The experimental group then participated in a comprehensive intervention program based on the World Health Organization’s functional assessment outcomes for 17 sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, while the control group remained on a waiting list and did not receive any intervention until the posttest. Afterward, the posttest was administered to both groups. The data collection instruments included Barton’s Communication Skills Questionnaire (1990) and Rutter’s Parent-Report Behavioral Problems Questionnaire (1975). Data analysis was conducted using univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with SPSS version 22. Findings: The findings indicated that the intervention program did not result in significant improvements in any components of communication skills or behavioral problems (P > .05). Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that achieving the desired effects on communication skills and behavioral problems may require longer-term intervention sessions, which is recommended for investigation in future research.