Over the past three decades, transition practices research has demonstrated that post-school outcomes of students with disabilities improve when educators, families, students, and community members and organizations work together to implement a broad perspective of transition planning, more appropriately referred to as transition-focused…

Background: The current global cohort of youth has been called "a generation at-risk", marked by a dramatic rise in youth who are not in employment, education or training programmes. In 2010, youth were three times as likely as adults to be unemployed, with youth unemployment worsening in 2012 and 2013. Accordingly, there is an urgent…

Positive Transitions for Student Athletes is a program designed to address the psychological and career-related issues surrounding the inevitable sport retirement transition faced by the majority of collegiate athletes. Provides a rationale for the development of sport retirement programs, as well as the Positive Transitions program and outcome…

Effective services for youth in transition can be delivered through a five-phase process approach to skill acquisition in which the level of intervention is appropriate for the target population. A hierarchical model of self-directed adaptation, consisting of seven levels of intervention, is proposed as a context for program development. (LKS)

This article reviews five categories of critical characteristics of high-quality secondary-level vocational instruction programs that increase the likelihood that students with severe disabilities will obtain paid community employment upon graduation. Categories include location of instruction, curriculum, instructional strategies, transition…

This paper lists practices recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood concerning the process of transition in early intervention and early childhood special education programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. An introductory section defines transition, offers examples of…

This paper summarizes current knowledge on the transition to adulthood of youth with serious emotional disturbance in terms of epidemiology, effective interventions, and program models. The first section is introductory and provides definitions and characteristics of transitional youth noting special developmental tasks, outcomes for young adults,…

Research points to the increasing importance of career exploration as a component of effective guidance programs in the transition years. For such programs to be successful, however, they must be part of a guidance program which involves the total school staff and works in collaboration with the school board and community. (Author/LKS)

This Introductory Packet provides readings and related activities on support for transitions to address barriers to student learning covering both research and best practices. It explores why transitions are dangerous opportunities that can disrupt or promote development. Key transitions and related intervention strategies are presented for…

Discussion of requirements of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) under the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act examines key components of the IEP, who constitutes the IEP team, roadblocks to effective use of the IEP, the top 10 common problems in IEPs, making the most of the IEP, transition planning, and…

Supported employment opportunities can help to meet the transition needs of individuals enrolled in special education programs. A review of related literature discusses characteristics of supported employment program participants, the need for individual transition planning, the school's role and responsibility, vocational planning, benefits,…

This newsletter issue reviews the research and literature on issues and best practices in programs to facilitate the transition of students with disabilities to adult life. First, the definition of transition services under the 1997 Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is presented and explained. Next, a…

In the past decade, disappointing national outcomes have been reported regarding the transition of youth with disabilities to community and work environments. The transition outlook is even more dismal for rural youth with disabilities, in light of geographic barriers to special education service delivery, lack of jobs in rural areas, and rural…

Research pointing to the need for routine support and followup for families with infants leaving Neonatal Intensive Care Units is described. A discharge planning process is then recommended, involving assessing the infant's needs, family functioning, family needs, and cultural considerations and linking families with community services. (JDD)

Difficulties in transitioning students with disabilities in rural areas include poor postschool outcomes, transportation problems, limited job market, negative attitudes toward job training programs (resulting from high unemployment), lack of job training sites, and lack of information concerning job accommodation for disabled workers. Includes…