A 25-Year Meta-Analysis of Interventions Conducted in Postsecondary Education Programs for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

College students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) enrolled in inclusive postsecondary education programs receive individualized support to increase their independence within academic, independent living, health/wellness, and career readiness contexts. This meta-analysis of 51 studies examined the impact of interventions conducted over the past 25 years. There were 293 participants ranging in age from 19 to 28 years across 44 single case and seven experimental intervention studies. All participants had a diagnosis of IDD and attended inclusive postsecondary education programs in the U.S. Interventions mainly occurred on university or college campuses and used assistive technology along with systematic instruction and or prompting with visual supports, to target academic (39.2%), independent living/health wellness (29.4%), and career readiness (31.4%) skills. Overall reported fidelity and interrater reliability metrics exceeded What Works Clearinghouse 5.0 (2022) criteria. Results from a series of hierarchical, multilevel meta-analytic models revealed a large positive overall effect across studies regardless of participants’ disability category. The authors discussed implications regarding instruction provided by inclusive postsecondary education programs.