Person-Centered: The Impact of People with IDD Choosing Their Goals on Their Quality of Life Outcomes

Person-centered planning is a process used to guide service delivery to ensure services and supports focus on the wants, needs, and interests of the individual person receiving those services. One critical component of person-centered planning is personal goals. Goals should be based on what is important to that person and what they want for their life. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) choosing their personal goals on their quality of life. In order to advance person-centered planning, the secondary aim was to examine if there are differences in who gets to choose their goals. To do so, we analyzed Personal Outcome Measures data from 2,928 people with IDD. Between 2020 and 2024, 54.0% of people with IDD chose their personal goals. Choosing personal goals was associated with significant increases in the likelihood of all 20 other areas of quality of life being present (odds ratios ranged from 1.54 to 5.44). There were differences in who was able to choose their goals based on: disability type; race; primary communication method; decision-making authority; and residence type. More work is necessary to ensure person-centered planning is truly implemented on the ground. Doing so will not only give people with IDD more control over their own lives but also improve their quality of life.