A Content and Methodological Review of Self-Advocacy Intervention Studies‪.‬

The terms self-advocacy and self-determination are often used interchangeably (Field, 1996). Although some authors have viewed self-determination as a subskill of self-advocacy (Zubal, Shoultz, Walker, & Kennedy, 1997), in most cases, self-advocacy is viewed as a component of self-determination (Algozzine, Browder, Karvonen, Test, & Wood, 2001; Field Martin, Miller, Ward, & Wehmeyer, 1998). This overlap is supported by results of a meta-analysis of interventions designed to promote self-determination by Algozzine et al. Their analysis indicated that the two most common self-determination interventions were teaching self-advocacy to individuals with learning disabilities and mild mental retardation and teaching choice making to individuals with mental retardation. Although self-determination has been defined by many different authors (e.g., Abery, 1994; Field, 1996; Martin & Marshall, 1995), a consensus definition accepted by many experts in the field is: