Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEPs) help connect youth to opportunities for career exploration, skill development, and mentorship. Despite heightened investment in SYEPs, research regarding positive impacts is limited. Most of the common SYEP evaluation strategies are rooted in deficit thinking and focus on outcomes such as reducing violent…

Transition from pediatric to adult health care systems presents unique challenges for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder who often have complex medical and mental health needs. Without a coordinated transition plan, pediatric providers often continue to provide care to young adults with autism spectrum disorder beyond the scope of their…

College students on the autism spectrum report the following support needs: interpersonal skills and coping with unexpected change. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of an interpersonal skills seminar using elements of the PEERS® curriculum on the acquisition of conversational behaviors by three young adults on the…

After leaving school, young people with autism spectrum disorder often struggle with social, educational and employment participation. A post-school transition programme underpinned by individualised case management, where mentees are guided to complete self-selected projects by mentors with multimedia skills, was evaluated using a qualitative…

Self-advocacy, self-management, self-regulation, and self-knowledge are complex terms, often considered forms of self-determination. Whatever term you may use, helping young adults with intellectual disability (ID) make authentic decisions about their own goals and behaviors often results in passive agreement. Even though advancing…

This self-assessment tool was developed for those who wish to embark on state-wide governmental systems change to improve high school transition and employment outcomes for youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Its purpose is to aid in the development of a work plan that is based on a review of the state…

The transition from school to adulthood is a pivotal time in the lives of all students. For a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), change of any kind can be challenging, and a transition as momentous as this can seem especially daunting. Thoughtful planning, sound information, and open communication will help parents support young adults…

In 2007, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) law was passed in Minnesota mandating newborn hearing screening. Recognizing that a number of state-level agencies and statewide advocacy and direct services organizations share responsibility for serving deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing children and youth, the Minnesota Commission…

This research study used a student-focused questionnaire to gain understanding about high school students with intellectual disabilities who participate in community-based instruction (CBI) as a component of their transition planning. The participating students have intellectual disabilities, range in age from 16 years old to 22 years old, and…

This study identifies and evaluates the pathways available from school to vocational education and training and to work, for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Research involved interviews with seven young people from Victoria who had either just completed secondary school and were enrolling in a VET course, or had completed a course and…

The directory lists grants funded under the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) Secondary and Transition Initiative. Information was obtained from a January, 1988, questionnaire of projects, from original grant applications, and from the previous year's project profiles. The compendium includes five sections: (1) an…

Through an examination of the transition process used by a representative sample of successfully employed handicapped individuals in Florida, specific transition strategies and the degree to which they were used were identified. Fifty successfully employed handicapped individuals participated. The high school experience was cited as essential in…

The effectiveness of independent living programs for developmentally disabled persons in Los Angeles County was examined using a sample of 33 clients (ages 18-50) who exited such programs between June 1984 and June 1986. All but one were mentally retarded; seven also had either cerebral palsy or epilepsy. Survey forms for each client were…

Model demonstration projects have developed and implemented a wide range of services to facilitate the transition of youth with handicapping conditions from school to work or to postsecondary educational settings. Factors pivotal to the continuation of such projects after federal funding ceased were studied. Data on 58 sample projects were…

This survey of 85 parents of children with handicaps (ages 14-25) assesses the involvement of parents in the transition process of the young person from home to work or independent living, the kind of involvement they desire, and responsibilities they would be willing to assume in order to be involved. Findings show that although more than…