Transition Services For Students Research Articles

School Counselors’ Perceptions Regarding Importance of and Ability to Implement Transition Services for Students With Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate school counselors’ perception of and ability to implement the 20 predictors of post-school success for students with disabilities. Results indicated statistical differences between grade levels in their perceived ability to implement transition services. We offer specific recommendations for how school counselors can provide support in alignment with the 20 special education predictors of improved postschool success for students with disabilities.

Partnering for Success: Leveraging Legislation for Transitioning Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are incredibly vulnerable to poor post-school outcomes. Two mandates, the Higher Education Opportunity Act and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, have emerged that may provide avenues to counter the discrepancy between the desire for career and college paths and actualization of employment and enrollment. The authors explore these legislative acts, their impact on transition services for students with IDD, and how school personnel can collaborate to create family, school, and community partnerships. Based on these acts, a practice framework, and the unique transition needs of students with IDD, practice recommendations are provided. Specific strategies for promoting application of these laws in the school setting are offered. Special attention is given to the partnership between special educators and school psychologists to help them navigate the legal implications for students with IDD and their families.

Career and College Readiness: A Summary of Two Sessions at the AFB Leadership Conference on Orientation and Mobility and Transition Services for Students with Visual Impairments

Editor’s Note: This commentary is based on the conference sessions, “Orientation and Mobility Career, College and Community Readiness Standards,” by Kathryn Botsford and Mary Tellefson, and “Engaging Students, Families and Teams for Success After High School,” by Sheila Koenig, which took place on Thursday, February 28, 2019, and Friday, March 1, 2019, respectively, at the American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference in Arlington, VA.

Transition planning for students with disabilities: Perspectives of Canadian and American school psychologists

ABSTRACT Postsecondary transition plans and services include domains such as independent living, postsecondary employment, and postsecondary education and have positive lifelong benefits for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). School psychologists have much to contribute to the transition process, but previous studies have indicated they often have limited involvement in this domain. A survey was conducted to assess school psychologists’ current knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding transition services for students with ID. Respondents included 282 practicing school psychologists from the United States and Canada. Regression results indicated that attitude, knowledge, and previous experience with the ID population were significant predictors of performance of transition-related professional behavior. Responses to open-ended questions supported the quantitative survey results and highlighted the importance of instruction (direct, informal, and experiential) in school psychologist delivery of transition services. Given this, recommendations to increase school psychologist knowledge of and positive attitudes toward transition planning and students with intellectual disabilities and their families are discussed.

Transition services for students with intellectual disabilities: School psychologists’ perceptions

AbstractFor individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), transition services increase access to postschool opportunities. School psychologists should contribute to transition services but have reportedly limited involvement in this area. This study distributed a national survey (N = 176) assessing school psychologists’ current knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding transition services for students with ID. Results indicated that attitudes toward and knowledge of the ID population were significant predictors of transition task performance, and knowledge was a significant predictor of transition‐related attitudes and behaviors. The results provided preliminary evidence that increasing school psychologists’ specific knowledge of transition services and encouraging positive attitudes toward the transition needs of students with ID may increase school psychologists’ performance in transition practice. Specific recommendations are provided.

Improving Family-School Collaboration in Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: A Framework for School Psychologists

ABSTRACTStrong collaborative partnerships between families, schools, and communities are essential to promote successful postgraduation outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) and are a key feature of a new Transition Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation (TPIE) framework. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the proactive roles school psychologists can play in guiding this three-phase framework while ensuring family engagement in the critical transition process and activities embedded in this framework. School psychologists are ideally suited to foster collaborative partnerships that can lead to comprehensive transition programming and services to promote the long-term life success of youth with ID.

"자폐성장애 학생의 성공적 전환지원을 위한 특수교사의 요구 분석"

"자폐성장애 학생의 성공적 전환지원을 위한 특수교사의 요구 분석"

Transition Practices of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors Serving Students and Youth With Disabilities

Purpose:The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 mandates vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors play a greater role in providing transition-related services for students and youth with disabilities, such as pre-employment activities and increased collaborative efforts with state and local education agencies and American Jobs Centers to improve employment outcomes.Method:We surveyed 538 VR counselors in 13 high performing State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies to rate the importance of transition-related skills and their preparation to undertake these activities.Results:Overall, VR counselors rated the importance of all transition-related items highly, but rated their preparation to perform these practices significantly lower. Job exploration counseling was cited as the most important skill. In terms of preparation, working with employers was rated the lowest. In terms of barriers to serving youth, time and case management were cited most frequently. Implications for caseload specialization and preparation of VR counselors are discussed.Conclusion:The results of the study have implications for preparing VR counselors to comply with the WIOA mandates regarding transition services for students and youth with disabilities.

Postsecondary Settings and Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Models and Research

Postsecondary Settings and Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Models and Research

The Power of the Cloud: Google Forms for Transition Assessment

The inclusion of age-appropriate transition assessments is a key component of transition services for students with disabilities. Although these assessments may focus on a variety of areas, their general purpose is to provide guidance in developing individualized postschool goals and design transition services to help students achieve these goals. Practitioners are tasked with conducting assessments that provide meaningful information from a variety of sources. This can be an unwieldy task, which can be streamlined and customized using Google Forms. This free cloud-based service can be used to aid practitioners when collecting and analyzing data from transition assessments. This article includes a general discussion of transition assessment and describes how the process may be simplified using Google Forms.

Federal and state benefits for transition age youth.

While all children face challenges as they become adults, children with chronic medical conditions or disabilities face unique barriers in their transition to adulthood. Children, especially those who are low income and have special needs, are eligible for a range of supports including income supports, health care coverage, vocational and educational supports. These supports are critical to sound health because they ensure access to necessary medical services, while also offsetting the social determinants that negatively affect health. Unfortunately, as children transition into adulthood, eligibility for these benefits can change abruptly or even end entirely. If medical providers have a better understanding of five transition key dates, they can positively impact their patients' health by ensuring continuous coverage through the transition to adulthood. The key dates are as follows: (1) transition services for students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must begin by age 16 (in some states such as Illinois, these services must be in place by age 14 1/2); (2) at age 18, eligibility for income supports may change; (3) at age 19, eligibility for Medicaid may change; (4) at graduation, eligibility for educational supports will end unless steps are taken to extend those benefits until age 22; and (5) when individuals prepare to enter the workforce, they will become eligible for vocational rehabilitation services. With an understanding of these key transition dates and how to partner with social services and advocacy organizations on behalf of their patients, medical providers can help to ensure that transition-age patients retain the holistic social services and supports they need to protect their health.

School-to-work transition services for students with disabilities in Malaysia: organisations' views on policy and practices

Transition services are required by law for students with disabilities in many developed countries. In Malaysia, however, there is still no specific legislation mandating that school-to-work transition planning and services be provided to students with disabilities. This study investigated the state of the transition services provided by educational organisations to students with disabilities in Malaysia. A mixed method research design, which utilises both quantitative and qualitative research techniques, was employed to obtain information from 23 government organisations and NGOs involved in the education and training of students with disabilities. This study found that the organisations surveyed were aware of the lack of transition support and call attention to the importance of instituting a national policy on school-to-work transition services and supported employment systems for students with disabilities. The legislative and educational implications for Malaysia are discussed.

Secondary and Transition Programming for 18-21 Year Old Students in Rural Wisconsin

In a study that examined transition services for students with disabilities aged 18-21 years in the state of Wisconsin, respondent completed and returned 231 surveys. Survey data indicated that 50% of respondents lived in rural communities. The authors analyzed data for participant perspectives on components of transition planning in the areas of curriculum, employment, independent living, instruction, leisure/recreation, post-secondary education, transition, and transportation/mobility. Results included that the most common reported perceived barriers to provision of effective transition programming center around lack of resources. The authors discuss the specifics of these barriers and suggest ways schools may begin to remove or circumvent these barriers.

As Students Become Adults: The Role of Occupational Therapy in the Transition Process

Under The Individuals with Disability Education Improvement Act of 2004, transition services for students with disabilities should be designed within a results-oriented process that facilitates a student's movement from school to postschool activities based on the student's individual strengths, needs, and preferences. As school to postschool transition encompasses myriad changes in life roles, demands, and skills, choosing a suitable high school placement is a crucial decision in preparation for transition from student to adult. Occupational therapy has essential and unique professional skills to collaborate with teams to support, improve, and address the varied factors that encompass the transition process. However, school-based occupational therapists tend to discontinue services earlier in a student's career, with fewer than 40% of school-based occupational therapists addressing the unique needs of adolescents (Schmitz, 2005; Brubaker, 2001; Kardos & White, 2005). This case study describes the collaborative process of one middle school student, his family, and his school team in search of the most suitable and beneficial high school placement to meet his individual needs and goals. Integral to this project was the experiential exploration of barriers, challenges, the resolving of miscommunications, the collaborative goal-setting process, the creation of the occupational profile, and a working therapeutic relationship. The parents perceived that the involvement of an occupational therapy perspective in transition planning for their child resulted in an improved experience in working with school staff and an appropriate high school placement and provided the groundwork for the development of a suitable and challenging high school program.

Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: A Case Study of a Public School Program on a Community College Campus

Students with intellectual disabilities aged 18–21 are increasingly receiving transition services on college campuses during the last years of public schooling. These students may attend college courses, work in the community, access community recreational activities, and engage in age-appropriate experiences with peers without disabilities. However, there is little research that documents the types of practices included, the perspectives of consumers, or the outcomes of these transition services. Results from this case study depict how one public school program on a community college campus incorporated recommended transition practices and how students with intellectual disabilities and their families perceived these practices.

Postsecondary Settings and Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Models and Research

Postsecondary Settings and Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Models and Research

Issues in Transition Planning

The purpose of this article is to identify legal issues concerning the transition planning process through a qualitative analysis of administrative and judicial decisions addressing transition services for students with disabilities. The issues that emerged from the analysis were categorized into five prevalent themes: agency contacts, student involvement, individualization of the transition plan, district obligations, and appropriateness of the transition plan. The themes included both procedural and substantive components. Changes in the newly reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are discussed, and implications for policy and practice are presented.

Moving From School to Adult Life: Transition Services for Students with Disabilities

The legal mandate for transition services for students with disabilities is presented, and the important role of medical professionals in assisting the student, family, and school personnel in planning for the student's transition from school to adult life is highlighted.

Transition in an era of reform.

Transition services for students with learning disabilities have not always been a priority in public schools. Although school personnel have long acknowledged the transition needs of students considered to have more severe disabilities, such as mental retardation, physical problems, and emotional disturbance, they do not always consider that students with learning disabilities also need transition programming. The result has been a neglect of these students' transition needs, which has likely contributed to some of the problems experienced by young adults with learning disabilities. This article focuses on the effect of educational reform on transition services for students with learning disabilities. General education reform--fueled by some of the critical reports of the 1980s--inclusion, and some of the more recent efforts to reform public education (namely, Goals 2000) are all discussed as they relate to the transition needs of students with learning disabilities.

A Survey of Accessibility to Secondary Vocational Education Programs and Transition Services for Students with Disabilities in Wisconsin

A Survey of Accessibility to Secondary Vocational Education Programs and Transition Services for Students with Disabilities in Wisconsin