A comparative study of the effects of a highly qualified transition specialist on successful transition planning for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities
Committee members: Johnston-Rodriguez, Sarah; Sibley, Scott; Tonks, Stephen.||Advisor: Summers, Kelly H.||Includes bibliographical references.
Abstract
Using a self-report quantitative survey with additional open-ended questions, this study examined the transition experiences of 836 parents of children with Intellectual and / or Developmental Disabilities currently enrolled in a post-high school program for students ages 18-21 in the Chicago metropolitan region. More specifically, this study examined the influence that a highly qualified special education Transition Specialist had on positively influencing in-school experiences that in turn would expectedly result in positive post-school outcomes for children. The independent variable in the study was presence or absence of an LSB-II transition specialist at IEP meetings. The dependent variables in the study consisted of a) Student focused planning; b) Family engagement; c) Student development; d) Interagency collaboration; e) Vision for successful post-school outcomes based on federally required areas; f) IEP team member transition knowledge; and g) Confidence that the transition planning process will result in successful post-school outcomes for their child with I/DD, to compare experiences. Results from the quantitative portion of the survey evidenced no difference in parent transition planning experiences using the independent variable of the LBS-II presence. However, qualitative data from the open-ended survey questions suggests that parent knowledge of key transition practices, proven to influence post-school outcomes, are evident in richer detail when then LBS-II is involved in the planning. Secondary analyses conducted identified a significant discrepancy between parents' perception of the frequency of transition compliance mandates and their perceived importance of each mandate. Finally, results raise awareness that educational environment is a contributing factor to opportunities for student development.
