Renee Cameto

A National Picture of Parent and Youth Participation in IEP and Transition Planning Meetings

Two prospective longitudinal studies of nationally representative samples of students with disabilities—the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study and the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2—are used to provide a broad look at the participation of parents of 11- through 19-year-old students with disabilities in Individualized Education Plan/transition planning meetings and their satisfaction with their involvement in them. Students’ attendance and the roles played in their transition planning meetings are also examined. Logistic regression analyses identify disability characteristics; demographics; aspects of parents’ involvement, expectations, and perceptions; experiences in students’ educational histories; and features of their instructional programs that help explain variations in parent and student participation, parent satisfaction, and student roles.

A Framework for Describing Variations in State Early Intervention Systems

As part of the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study, information about the early intervention service systems in the 20 participating states was gathered. This article organizes this information into dimensions of a framework for describing early intervention systems at the state and local levels. Information collected indicates that considerable variation exists on all dimensions of the framework. Descriptive information is presented about how local jurisdictions are defined, eligibility criteria, what agencies are involved in early intervention, and models of intake and of service coordination, including vignettes for selected states. Research on the significance of this variation for how families experience early intervention is needed if better systems are to be implemented. Frameworks for describing early intervention systems are a necessary first step to this line of research. Future analyses from this study will look at the relationship between early intervention systems, services provided, and outcomes achieved.

Identifying and Promoting Transition Evidence-Based Practices and Predictors of Success: A Position Paper of the Division on Career Development and Transition.

This position paper describes the Division of Career Development and Transition’s stance and recommendations for identifying and promoting secondary transition evidence-based practices and predictors of postschool success for students with disabilities. Recommendations for experimental research, correlational research, and secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2 data are provided. Finally, suggestions related to planning for future research in the area of secondary transition are discussed.