Self-determination and Transition Outcomes of Youth with Disabilities: Findings from the Special Needs Education Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to use the data of the Special Needs Education Longitudinal Study (SNELS) to investigate the degree of self-determination and associated transition outcomes of students with disabilities after graduation from senior high school in Taiwan. Whether students’ self-determination could predict their transition outcomes was also examined. Participants (N = 630) were youth identified as having intellectual disability (ID), learning disabilities (LD), emotional disturbance (ED), and autism. Descriptive statistics, analyses of variances (ANOVAs), chi-squared tests, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze data. Results showed that the degree of self-determination of youth with ID/LD/ED/autism in Taiwan was significantly lower than that of the comparison group consisting of youth with visual, hearing, and health impairments. After graduating from senior high school, approximately 70% of youth with ID/LD/ED/autism made successful career transitions, including 40.3% attending college and 29.1% entering the workforce. Thirty percent of youth could not make a career transition 6 months after graduation and stayed at home. Furthermore, the transition outcomes of 75.9% of youth with ID/LD/ED/autism could be correctly predicted based on their degree of self-determination. The results of this study suggested that even if youth with ID/LD/ED/autism were capable of graduating from high school and continuing to enter college or the workforce, their self-determination skills might still be insufficient and consequently affect their performance of postsecondary outcomes.