Autonomy of adults with intellectual disabilities in the perception of their parents

<ns3:p>The main aim of the study was to determine the level of autonomy among adults with intellectual disabilities living in family homes from the perspective of their parents. Additionally, it was examined whether the autonomy of individuals with intellectual disabilities is influenced by the severity of their disability and gender. To achieve the set objectives, a diagnostic survey method was employed. An author-designed questionnaire survey for parents living with their adult child with intellectual disabilities was utilized. The study involved 68 parents aged 41 to 82 years (M=59.66; SD=8.56). The age of adult children with intellectual disabilities (N=68) ranged from 18 to 63 years (M=30.22; SD=8.98). The analysis of the results indicates that adult children with intellectual disabilities are perceived by parents to have a moderately high level of autonomy in terms of making changes in their own room, deciding what to wear, and preparing meals. They have a moderately low level of autonomy in deciding on ways to spend leisure time/vacations and a low level of autonomy in relation to independent shopping. It was found that only selected areas of autonomy are differentiated by the degree of disability and gender.</ns3:p>