Students with Moderate/Severe Disabilities and Adult Transition: What Does a Successful 18-22 Year Old Program Look Like?

Students with IEPs who do not complete high school with a diploma are entitled to instructional services from a school district until they are 22 years old.The quality of these programs is spotty, with most not providing the instruction and supports needed to provide students with the independence skills needed to successfully transition to adult life.This episode examines the components that go into a successful transition, one that supports a disabled person’s autonomy to the greatest extent possible.References and ResourcesSelf-Determination and the Education of Students with Disabilities. Author: Michael Wehmeyer  https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED470036.pdfAdult Transition Program Without Walls.  Author: Eric Moberg https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED507786.pdfAging Out of Special Education: A Parent's Guide to Transition Services and 18-22 Programs - Author: Isabella Johnson https://www.specialneeds.com/articles/education/special-education/aging-out-of-special-education-a-parents-guide-to-transition-services-and-18-22-programs/SummaryThe host presented an overview of post-high-school programs for students with IEPs  who do not receive a high school diploma emphasizing the need for coherent life-skills curricula rather than unstructured services. He defined self-determination as the overarching skill and broke transition needs into employment, residential, social, healthcare, and financial domains. He concluded that 18-to-22 programs must improve how they assess needs and teach competence in each area.Key takeawaySuccessful adult outcomes for students with moderate to severe disabilities depend on building self-determination through practical instruction across education and employment, daily living, social and recreational life, healthcare, and finances.Context and Gaps in Post-High-School ProgramsStudents with IEPs who do not finish high school are eligible for programs that serve them until age 22, and most of these students have intellectual disabilities along with related issues.The host noted from his professional and parent-advisor experience that most such programs lacked a coherent curriculum or an overall vision for what students needed to learn.Life skills should be at the center of programming, but programs often fail to define those skills or design instruction around them.Self-Determination as the Umbrella SkillResearch cited in the episode defines self-determination as the combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enable goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior.Understanding one’s strengths and limitations, along with believing in oneself as capable and effective, is essential to becoming a successful adult.The components of self-determination include goal setting, problem-solving, making appropriate choices, participating in life-impacting decisions, self-advocacy, creating action plans, and self-managing daily actions.Education and Employment SkillsMost disabled adults want satisfying work tied to their interests and inherent skills, not just any job; this may or may not include paid employment.Autistic and neurodivergent people often have deep special interests, so placing them in non-preferred jobs can be highly problematic.Post-high-school education must teach skills in real-world contexts; for example, using public transportation cannot be taught in a classroom and requires navigating access and interacting with strangers.Residential and Daily Living SkillsNeeded skills include cooking, dressing, cleaning, personal hygiene, functional use of money, shopping, and other routines many people take for granted.These daily living skills are foundational for living as independently as possible in adult life.Social and Recreational SkillsStudents need to get along with others in non-preferred situations and maintain friendships while managing sensory and social overload.Social skill development includes distinguishing between professional and personal friendships and engaging appropriately in romantic and sexual relationships to gain benefits and avoid dangerous situations.Healthcare SkillsStudents need to know how and when to take medications, recognize medical signs that require attention, and maintain dental care and hygiene.Healthcare skills overlap with daily living because activities like cooking directly affect a person’s health.Financial SkillsFinancial independence requires paying monthly bills, tracking spending, budgeting for the near future, shopping, and understanding credit and debt.These skills were presented as concrete areas that post-high-school programs must address.Call for Better Assessment and InstructionPrograms need to assess deficits in each of these skill areas and provide instruction specifically designed to teach competence.By addressing these areas, students can gain the skills needed to be independent to the greatest degree possible.Thanks to Soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/)