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…

Because of the important role secondary special educators have in the transition to adulthood of adolescents with disabilities, it behooves educators to have an understanding of human development. The lifespan perspective on human development is particularly relevant to transition planning. Individuals with a lifespan perspective believe…

The purpose of this mixed methods action research study was to collect data in order to expand the current transition program in place for students with cognitive impairments. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected from district stakeholders regarding the current transition program in place for students with cognitive impairments. In…

Services of two school districts to exceptional students in transition are reviewed. The Great Falls (Montana) model involves a five-year individualized education program, maximum integration, and three phases of paid employment. The Natrona County (Wyoming) program is based on such crucial services as vocational evaluation, community living…

Project CONNECT (Inmate Advocacy) was developed to provide counseling to inmates involved in the education programs at Fayette County Prison in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, before and immediately following their release. Twenty-one inmates who had been selected through a screening process received individual basic skills remediation in a classroom…

A deliberate, systematic approach is presented for assisting students with handicaps through the transition process from school to adult life. The key elements of transition are identified as: longitudinal vocational and independent living skills training; cooperative and interagency transition planning; parent, student, employer, and…

The Occupational Therapy Independent Living Skills (Transition) Program was established to serve students with severe behavioral, learning, and physical disabilities and to serve as a setting for occupational therapist training in transition programming. This manual describes this model pupil personnel training program, which prepares occupational…

Two documents focus on Transitional Service Centers (TSC) programs designed to help persons with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities enter into employment and community life. The procedural manual introduces the concept of transition from school to work and community living and examines steps in developing TSCs: (1) conducting a…

The Career Assessment and Placement Center is a school-to-adult-life transition program which provides vocational and independent living services to individuals with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities. A set of five manuals was prepared to assist in developing services similar to those provided by the Center. The "Operations"…

This guide provides an approach to assist public schools and adult service agencies in designing programs that will maximize the ability of severely disabled students to function in non-sheltered vocational environments. The guide is composed of a list of questions to be used in a self-evaluation process; the questions concern needs assessment,…

The Summer Transition Training Project was designed to address the needs of visually impaired adolescents and young adults by providing training in transitional and rehabilitation teaching to educators of the visually impaired and to rehabilitation professionals in six western states. This paper describes program design, implementation, and…

Project COMPETE was designed to promote the successful transition of students with severe handicaps from school to adult life and work in integrated community settings. The project developed an instructional program, trained staff members of the Nassau County (New York) Board of Cooperative Educational Services, recruited jobs for the students,…

These three newsletter issues are designed for users of the Council for Exceptional Children's Life Centered Career Education (LCCE) curriculum. The newsletter's goal is to inform practitioners of curriculum implementation ideas and transition issues and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas. Featured articles discuss meeting transition…

These two newsletter issues are designed for users of the Council for Exceptional Children's Life Centered Career Education (LCCE) curriculum. The newsletter's goal is to inform practitioners of curriculum implementation ideas and transition issues and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas. Featured articles discuss how one district used…

This document brings together the first three issues of a newsletter designed for users of the Council for Exceptional Children's Life Centered Career Education (LCCE) curriculum. The newsletter's goal is to inform practitioners of curriculum implementation ideas and transition issues, and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas. Featured…