Goal Guide: A Web-Based Application for Self-Management of Goal Tracking

This is a Phase II project to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a responsively designed web application, Goal Guide, that enables individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism to effectively manage self-defined goals for everyday living across personal, educational, and vocational life domains. Users will be able to easily enter goals, work with data for each goal, engage with information displays that communicate progress, and complete the self-management loop by self-monitoring progress and linking it with contingent incentives that they have defined. The primary interface for users with cognitive disabilities will be on the mobile device while teacher and parent interfaces will emphasize shared access to oversee usage, receive notifications, and provide assistance as needed. Cognitively accessible self-management applications offer an untapped resource to augment the functional ability of individuals with disabilities who cannot use typical commercial applications because of inability to work with interfaces that are text-based and cognitively complex. Participants will include 30 individuals with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities and autism aged 18-21 in a post secondary program focused on teaching daily living skills, employment, and social skills toward successful transition to adulthood.