A Functional Model of Self.ppt

Promoting the Self-Determination of Youth and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders Michael Wehmeyer, Ph.D. Professor, Special Education Director, Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities Senior Scientist, Beach Center on Disability University of Kansas self-determination: noun(sèlf′d?-t?r′me-na′shen) 1. Determination of ones own fate or course of action without compulsion;2. Freedom of the people of a given area to determine their own political status; independence. self-determined, adj.-- self-determining, adj. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition (1992). Houghton Mifflin Company. Self-Determination in Personality Psychology Self-determination as a personality construct proposes that one’s life course is “determined” (e.g., caused) by either autonomous and heteronomous functions, where autonomous means self-governing or governed from inside, and heteronomous means governed from outside. Doctrine of Determinism: The doctrine that all phenomena, including behavior, are effects of preceding causes. Self-Determination and Disability Within the context of the disability rights and advocacy movement, the construct as a personal characteristic has been imbued with the empowerment and “rights” orientation typically associated with the sense of the term as a national or political construct. Empowerment is a term usually associated with social movements, and typically is used, as Rappaport (1981) stated, in reference to actions that “enhance the possibilities for people to control their lives” (p. 15). Self-Determination and Disability People with autism should be treated with the same dignity, respect, and equality as people without autism (Bovee, 2000, p. 250-251). We [people with disabilities] dont have to be told what self-determination means. We know it is just another word for a life filled with rising expectations, dignity, respect and opportunities (Williams, 1989, p. 2). A Functional Theory of Self-Deter