Frank R. Rusch

Predicting Employment for Students Who Leave Special Education High School Programs

A hierarchical regression analysis featuring 35 community, family, student, and school program characteristics, entered in a controlled order, was used to assess prediction of employment. Results showed that personal characteristics (especially being male and having living skills and academic skills) dominated the prediction of postschool employment. Family income, our proxy for socioeconomic status, also contributed significantly to this prediction. School programs had minimal effect on postschool employment once student competence and family characteristics had been controlled (held constant) statistically.

Adult Day Programs versus Supported Employment (1988–2002): Spending and Service Practices of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities State Agencies:

While supported employment has made significant gains since its formal introduction in 1984 (P.L. 98–527), segregated services continue to outpace the growth of supported employment. We discuss these and other important trends in this article, and conclude with recommendations that include (1) ensuring that all young adults leave high school competitively used or admitted to postsecondary education by age 18 and (2) that high schools coordinate post-placement follow-up for 3 years following employment or enrollment in postsecondary education. These recommendations are made because although current research suggests practices exist to employ persons with severe disabilities outside sheltered workshops and adult day care centers, these programs continue to grow at an alarming rate. In fact, the growth of supported employment has all but stalled since 2000. Diverting people and resources at the juncture between high school preparation and assuming adult roles such as employment appears to be a more realistic plan to promote integrated services over the foreseeable future.

Transition From School to Integrated Communities

Research on employment, residential, and social outcomes of youth transitioning from school to adulthood is reviewed. Results of follow-up studies show that only a few youths with disabilities are employed after leaving school. Further, these young adults are even less integrated into employment, independent living, and community activities as they age. The variables that may enhance selected community integration outcomes are also discussed. Variables that may enhance transition efforts include work experience in the community, good interpersonal skills, family involvement, and support from others. Finally, future directions for special education are discussed.

Toward Self-Directed Learning, Post-High School Placement, and Coordinated Support Constructing New Transition Bridges to Adult Life

Students without disabilities traditionally either enter postsecondary education or seek employment after high school graduation. These outcomes are not routinely experienced by youth with disabilities, however. Instead, they often face an uncertain future—one that may include unemployment or underemployment, social isolation, or dependence, despite federal legislation designed to pave the way toward successful and fulfilling adult lives. To address these inequalities, the authors propose constructing new transition bridges, including (a) teaching students to become self-directed learners before they enter high school, (b) assisting students in identifying where they would like to continue their education or work and placing these students in these student-identified destinations before they exit high school, and (c) coordinating post-placement support services with either postsecondary educational institutions or local agencies that provide employment support.

Training Severely Handicapped Students to Cross Partially Controlled Intersections

In this study three severely handicapped school-aged students were trained to cross the street. The students were provided preinstruction, instructional feedback, and selective repeated practice to acquire the skills to cross the street at partially controlled intersections; selective repeated practice was introduced only when physical assistance was required on those skills students found particularly difficult to learn; a rehearsal and model phase was eventually used to promote independent street crossing. Data were collected on the following training clusters: approach (walking to and stopping on the curb), look (looking behind, in front, left, and right), step (stepping off the curb when no cars were coming), and walk (walking quickly across the street and stopping on the other side). Results of the multiple baseline design indicated that instructional feedback was sufficient in training the approach and walk behaviors but selective repeated practice was required to establish the look responses. A partial reversal following withdrawal of instructional feedback suggested withdrawing all treatment components would result in total loss of behavior gains. Therefore, rehearsal in the form of performing the entire sequence with the trainer and then a trainer model was tried. This strategy increased the number of independent decisions to step and walk across the street. Generalization probes on untreated, partially controlled intersections suggested that each student used the newly acquired behaviors appropriately. Future research is suggested in the areas of training two-behavior versus four-behavior chains, using repeated practice to facilitate acquisition and teach independent decision making to severely handicapped students.

PREDICTING QUALITY OF LIFE OF YOUTHS AFTER THEY LEAVE SPECIAL EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS

A subsample of 713 students was selected from a nationwide stratified probability sample of 8,404 students with disabilities attending U.S. high schools in 1985. In-school and out-of-school information about these students was obtained in 1987 from their school records, school personnel, and parents. Conventional item analysis procedures were used to construct three quality-of-life composites—esteem, independence, and support—from 17 questionnaire variables. These composites were related to 28 geo-economic, family, demographic, cognitive, disability, and school program variables using a canonical correlation. The sum of three redundancy coefficients from the canonical analysis indicated that the predictors accounted for 36.9% of the variance in the three quality-of-life composites taken in concert, from which 5.3% was attributed uniquely to school program variables. The three canonical dimensions were labeled “general competence,” “sensory disability,” and “valued support” because of the patterns of quality-of-life variables and predictor variables with which they correlated. These analyses implied that quality of life for individuals with disabilities is difficult to disentangle from competence. However, the data set used for the present study included very few quality-of-life variables that are not related to competence—such as students satisfaction with their lifestyles or students freedom to make their own choices—making it difficult to detect these dimensions.

Prediction of residential independence of special education high school students

The residential independence of post-secondary students was assessed for the 2,686 interviewees of the National Longitudinal Transition Study who had left United States high schools between 1985 and the time of the questionnaire in 1987. An index of residential placement independence was the dependent variable in a regression analysis that featured 37 community, family, student, and school program characteristics entered as block-wise predictors (i.e., entered in a controlled order). Results showed a total R2 of .443, with missing data, student maladaptive (problem) behavior, student competence, and family characteristics all contributing significantly to the prediction of post-school residential independence.

A Review and Analysis of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders Using a Paradigm of Communication Competence

Research related to the use of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) with individuals having autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) was examined using a communication competence paradigm detailed by J. C. Light (1988, 1989, 2003). Communication components were operationalized based on skills identified in ASD research. A review was conducted to examine general PECS outcomes and outcomes related to communication competence including generalized, spontaneous, and joint attention abilities, and maintenance. Results indicated that there were few empirical studies related to the PECS. Of note, the reported studies indicated generally positive outcomes for individuals with ASDs, particularly related to manding and generalization. When the communication competence paradigm was applied, results indicated that, in its present form, the PECS needs to be used as a part of a multimodal communication system. Results suggest that training related to the PECS includes joint attention and question asking. Recommendations for the use of PECS and future research with individuals having ASDs are outlined.

Predicting Quality of Life of Students Who Have Left Special Education High School Programs.

A subsample (N = 505) was selected from a nationwide, stratified, probability sample of students with disabilities attending high school in 1985. In-school and out-of-school information about these students was obtained in 1987 and 1990 from school records, school personnel, and parents. Conventional item analysis procedures were used to construct a priori quality-of-life composites (social relationships, employment, and independence) from 17 questionnaire variables. These composites were related to 27 geopolitical, family, demographic, cognitive, disability, and school program variables using three multiple regression analyses, which indicated that the predictors accounted for 23.5% of the variance in social relationships; 25.6%, in independence; and 19.5%, in employment. Results suggest that although quality of life is multidimensional, competence appears to underlie many of its facets.

Residential independence of former special education high school students : A second look

The residential independence of postsecondary students was assessed in 5,462 parents or surrogate parents of students with disabilities from the National Longitudinal Transition Study who had left United States high schools between 1985 and the time of the questionnaire in 1990. An index of residential placement independence served as the dependent variable in a hierarchical regression analysis that featured 43 community, family, student, and school program characteristics entered as block-wise predictors (i.e., entered in a controlled order). This analysis produced a multiple R2 of .376: missing data, youths daily living skills, youths social skills, youths maladaptive (problem) behaviors, and community characteristics all contributed significantly to the prediction of the postschool residential independence of former special education students during the first 5 years after they had left secondary school.