Feasibility of electronic peer mentoring for transition-age youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Project Teens making Environment and Activity Modifications.
Jessica M Kramer, Cathryn T Ryan, Rachel Moore and 1 others
PMID 28247558WHAT IT FOUND
Transition-age youth with intellectual disabilities can participate in electronic peer mentoring, but it requires heavy staffing.
Mentors with disabilities achieved 87% of goals when supported by scripts and supervisors, yet the resource demands make this difficult for community clinics to adopt without university partnerships.
Key findings
01Mentees attended 87% of scheduled calls and were engaged (defined as any response) 94% of the time, showing they can participate in phone or video mentoring.
02Peer mentors with disabilities achieved 87% of mentoring objectives, but success relied heavily on support; mentors used a script 74% of the time and direct supervisor support 33% of the time.
03The intervention required extensive resources, including highly trained supervisors and individualized job accommodations for all mentors, which the authors note decreases practicality for community-based organizations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was a feasibility pilot without a control group, so it cannot determine if the mentoring improved client outcomes or problem-solving skills. Engagement was defined broadly as any response, including one-word answers, which may overstate the depth of mentee involvement. The study did not evaluate mentor or mentee satisfaction directly. Support provided by parents to mentees during calls was not documented, which could affect the generalizability of the findings to other settings. The high level of supervision relied on graduate students and university resources, which may not be available in typical community clinics.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was conducted within a university environment, which facilitated the recruitment of graduate student supervisors at minimal cost.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high engagement and fidelity rates as evidence that electronic peer mentoring is a low-resource intervention. The study required direct supervision during one-third of mentoring objectives and individualized job accommodations for every mentor, making it resource-intensive compared to standard mentoring models.