The next frontier : advancing quality of life and self-determination by explicating the self-concepts of children with mild intellectual disabilities

Enhancing children's self-concepts has been cast as a critical goal of education. Over the last 3 decades significant advances in self-concept theory, measurement and research have bolstered our understanding and educational practice to support the well-being of children. Progress with children with mild intellectual disabilities, however, has been slow due in part to weaknesses in measurement and theory. It is vital that decision making, and service and policy developments are informed by direct input from children with mild intellectual disabilities. This necessity is endorsed by both the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989) and the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development's (2013) call to ensure the robust measurement of subjective well-being. This chapter provides a critique of the importance of positive self-concepts, the advances achieved within the field, and the progress that has been made with research methodology for children with mild intellectual disabilities. A body of research attests that children with mild intellectual disabilities can indeed reliably report their multidimensional self-concepts, and that psychometrically valid measures are available for use with these children. Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to apply robust self-concepts measurement tools to explicate the life experiences of children with mild intellectual disabilities and champion their self-determination and quality of life.