Applications of the self-determination construct to disability

Abstract

Causal Agency Theory grew out of research and intervention development with, primarily, youth with disabilities. Much of the self-determination research in the disability context has examined interventions to teach or promote skills such as problem solving, goal setting, self-advocacy, and such and was, often, not theory-driven. Causal Agency Theory, however, emerged from research and theory pertaining to self-determination in the broader context of personality psychology and within the context of adolescent development, and understanding of the self-determination construct, from the onset, was heavily influenced by and drew from work in the early stages of the development of SDT. This chapter provides an overview of research in special education and related disciplines, as driven by Causal Agency Theory. We then discuss the knowledge and information from this literature base that can inform knowledge pertaining to self-determination, in general.