Predictors of employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities participating in a postsecondary transition program in the United States.

Abstract

Previous research has shown that post-secondary collegiate vocational educational programs often have positive effects on employment outcomes for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Using secondary data of a program in the United States collected over several years, we examined which intervention components of a postsecondary education transition program predicted subsequent employment for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The sample consisted of 56 individuals that participated in a transition-services collegiate program; Crossing Points, University of Alabama. Results were able to robustly indicate that acquiring job-specific skills was a much better predictor than global measures of intellectual or adaptive behaviour. Additionally, survival curve analyses as an innovative approach to this population showed that there was a positive relation between the number of job-specific training sessions and eventual community employment. Results are discussed in relation to a historical parallel movement to expand inclusion of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the least restrictive educational setting for primary and secondary public education years. In conclusion, the results of the current study suggest positive findings with job-skills training both specific and general.