Song Ju

Substantiated Best Practices in Transition: Fifteen Plus Years Later

Since the transition movement in the 1980s, numerous transition practices have been developed. Kohler (1993) provided a comprehensive review and analysis of transition best practices and divided them into substantiated and implied practices based on the existence of empirical evidence. Since that review was published, the field of transition has changed. The purpose of this article is to provide an updated review of transition best practices since Kohler’s study. A total of 29 documents were collected that substantiated best transition practices. The resulting most- to least-substantiated practices were paid or unpaid work experience, employment preparation, family involvement, general education inclusion, social skills training, daily living skills training and self-determination skills training, and community or agency collaboration.

Employability Skills Valued by Employers as Important for Entry-Level Employees with and without Disabilities.

Individuals with disabilities face persistent challenges in gaining meaningful employment. One of the barriers to successful employment is a lack of employability skills. The purpose of this study was to identify employability skills that employers value as being important and to examine whether employers have different expectations for individuals with and without disabilities. One hundred sixty-eight employers from different industries participated in this survey study. Employers considered certain skills as essential for all entry-level employees; however, there were noticeable differences between employers’ expectations for employees with and without disabilities. Different expectations were also found between male and female respondents and between employers from service/business areas and those from science/technology areas. Implications of study findings are discussed.

Truancy Offenders in the Juvenile Justice System: A Multicohort Study.

Truancy remains a persistent concern, with serious consequences for the individual, family, and society, as truancy is often linked to academic failure, disengagement with school, school dropout, and delinquency. This study analyzed large-scale data covering multiple years of cohorts of delinquent youths born between 1981 and 1988. Truancy offenders tend to be referred to the juvenile justice system at an earlier age, be juveniles with a family criminal history, and have received special education services. Caucasians girls, juveniles from lower income families, and juveniles who did not use drugs were more likely to be referred for truancy offenses than for other offenses. Implications of these findings for practice and future research are addressed.

Adolescents with Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System: Patterns of Recidivism

Juvenile delinquency is a persistent problem in the United States, and students with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to become recidivists. This study examined patterns of and factors associated with recidivism. The sample included 5,435 juveniles with disabilities. Findings indicated intragroup variability regarding the number of referrals and the percentages of adolescents who were adjudicated, had a record of determinate commitment, and had a record of probation. African American males who were from delinquent families tended to have more referrals than adolescents from poorer families with fewer family problems. There is a need to examine further the reasons why certain groups of adolescents with disabilities are more likely to become recidivists and a need to develop intervention strategies that are effective in reducing juvenile offenses committed by these groups. A promising intervention that may ameliorate the effects of family criminal history involves the implementation of wraparound and family empowerment services.

Distinguishing the Influences of Father’s and Mother’s Involvement on Adolescent Academic Achievement Analyses of Taiwan Education Panel Survey Data

Using a sample drawn from Taiwan, this study evaluated the role of mother and father involvement in adolescent academic achievement. The participants were drawn from the Taiwan Education Panel Survey (TEPS) and consisted of 8,108 adolescents who studied seventh grade in 2001. Father and mother involvement related to academic achievement was measured by four types of involvement: career plan discussion, listening to adolescent thinking, monitoring academic progress, and participation in school activities. The results indicated that mothers were more involved than fathers in education and that mother involvement had more predictive power of adolescent academic achievement.

The Causal Relationship Between Academic Self-Concept and Academic Achievement for Students With Disabilities An Analysis of SEELS Data

This study examined the reciprocal causal effect between academic self-concept and academic achievement with family SES and parent involvement as predictive factors. Elementary and secondary groups were also compared. Data were drawn from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS). The sample consisted of 2,950 students ages 8 to 14 (Grades 1 -9) at the time of Wave 1 data collection. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in the data analysis. It was found that, at the elementary level, Wave 1 academic achievement predicted Wave 2 self-concept and Wave 1 self-concept predicted Wave 2 achievement. Parent home involvement was a significant predictor for Wave 1 academic achievement. At the secondary level, family SES was a significant predictor for both Wave 1 academic achievement and self-concept. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Review of Practices That Promote Self-Advocacy for Students With Disabilities

Self-advocacy skills for students with disabilities have been linked to elevated school retention rates and more successful adult outcomes. Test, Fowler, Brewer, and Wood examined evidence of self-advocacy practices published from 1972 to June 2004. As an update to their study, we reviewed empirical studies (N = 18) published from June 2004 to June 2012 that promote self-advocacy for students with disabilities. Interpretations included a continued need to study program effects on students from diverse backgrounds and more rigorous research on self-advocacy predictors and outcomes. Compared with the previously reviewed studies, recent single-case studies improved participant selection reporting and procedural fidelity but declined in controlling for internal validity; group experimental studies improved from the previously reviewed studies in measuring dependent variables at appropriate times and using appropriate analysis and declined in reporting intervention agent details. Two studies (one single-case and one group experimental) met quality indicator standards for “high quality,” and no study met the “acceptable” standards.

Experiences of Disability Advocates and Self-Advocates in Texas:

Legislative advocacy is a prime channel for disability advocates to affect civil rights and disability-related legislation and policy that leads to improved quality of life for individuals with disabilities. To highlight the current status of disability legislative advocacy, this study examined advocacy experiences based on recent data from one state that involved 113 disability advocates and self-advocates. Analyses were conducted to examine the characteristics of advocates, the causes advocated, leadership positions, level of engagement, and frequency of engagement in the legislative advocacy process. Relations among advocates’ characteristics and advocacy experiences were also examined. Results revealed that individuals with disabilities mostly relied on their peers in the advocacy process, and the type of disability was associated with the causes advocated. In addition, holding a leadership position was associated with engagement in the legislative advocacy process.

Self-Determination and Academic Success of Students With Disabilities in Postsecondary Education: A Review:

The purpose of this study was to conduct a literature review on SD and academic success of students with disabilities in postsecondary education. We reviewed 20 empirical or scientific studies published from 1972 to 2016 that explored academic experiences associated with SD and efficacy of SD trainings in postsecondary settings. Of the 20 articles, half of the studies discussed student experiences of SD; the other half identified five approaches to improving SD in postsecondary education, which included strategic content learning instruction, personal strengths program, SD learning model for instruction, self-advocacy training, and coaching. The results indicated that self-advocacy, self-awareness, problem solving, and goal setting and attainment are important traits of SD. Furthermore, related trainings (e.g., self-advocacy training and coaching services) were found to improve SD skills and encourage students to utilize disability services and support systems to achieve academic success. Implications for future research and policy follow a discussion of the results.