Postsecondary Transition For Youth with ASD in Maine

Peer to Peer Meeting

Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs

Mystic Connecticut, August 7-9, 2013

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Maine State Professional Development Grant – Goal 5

• Maine DOE OSEP-funded five-year grant

• To increase the percentages of SAU special education and related services personnel who can develop and implement effective, compliant transition plans and activities within timelines (IDEA Indicators B12, B13, and C8).

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Family-Centered Transition Planningfor Students with Autism Spectrum

Disorders

University of MaineCenter on Community Inclusion

and Disability Studies

University of New HampshireInstitute on Disability

University of New Hampshire

Institute on Disability

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Participants

Age 16-18 (all levels of ASD) NH METotal

Referral by Transition Coordinators / Special Educators following school administrator agreement to participate

Random assignment:

Year 1 Intervention 13 11 24

Delay Control (Yr. 2) 14 9 23

47

• Both student and parent enrolled

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Data Collection

Student and Family Surveys

• Family and Student Expectations for the Future (from National Longitudinal Transition Study)

• ARC Self-Determination Inventory

• Vocational Decision-Making Inventory

Document Analysis of IEP Transition Plans

Open-ended Family Interviews (9)

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

FCTP Components

ParentTraining(SPECS)

CareerExploration

Person-CenteredPlanning

3 Saturdays

5 - 9 in-home mtgs.

4 - 6 months

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Parent Training

• Orientation to adult service system – • Learning how to re-order thinking – asking,

“What do you want?” before “How will you do it?”

• Thinking about using services in new ways.• Planning tools that focus on the individual

(strengths, support needs, skills, challenges and preferences).

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Person-Centered Planning

• Who is the person?• Individuals to include in planning process.• Individual preferences (general,

employment, home, learning, choice-making)

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Person-Centered Planning (2)

• Scheduling – routines – what would a perfect day look like and include?

• What is the vision or what are the dreams of the individual (incorporate information from above tools/planning)

• Action plan – what do you do with the information generated in planning meetings?

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Career Exploration

• What have we learned about preferences, especially the employment preferences for the person?

• Networks, connections uncovered in planning process? (relationships)

• Interests and motivators discovered?

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Career Exploration (2)• Consider variety of approaches (workplace

visits, job shadowing, volunteering, internships).• How to use learning that happens through

career exploration – (what did student like/successful – dislike/unsuccessful?)

• Learning from both failures and successes.

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Significance of differences between pre and post mean scores:

FCTP Control

t p t p

Student Expectations 2.55 .01 1.09 .16

Parent Expectations 2.32 .020.51 .31

Self-Determination 5.58 .00 1.65 .06

Vocational Decision-Making 2.66 .01 0.64 .27

Survey Results

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Total possible points = 224

Impact on Transition Plans

• Evidence of various IEP components

(e.g. list of team members, systematic data collection, type of diploma)

• Quality of goals in 11 Transition Domains

(e.g. employment / voc. training, post-secondary ed., independent living, recreation / leisure)

Statement of Transition Services Review Protocol (STSRP)

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

FCTP Control

IEP Rating Score 1: 30.35 Score 1: 29.74

Score 2: 39.53 Score 2: 32.53

p = .048 p = .100

Analysis of IEPs

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Family Interviews

• Project was useful and important

-- kept families on track; parceled out transition into discrete tasks-- modeled tenacity and perseverance in working towards goals-- helped connect families to other supportive people

• The planning process was growth-enhancing for students

-- learned to advocate for oneself and take an active role in planning-- feelings of discomfort were slight, and played a positive role: “Nobody grows up without a little bit of tension.”

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Family Interviews cont’d• Families became more clearly aware of student strengths and

potential.

-- accomplishments many parents “had trouble imagining” [driver’s license, drive to the Prom with date, meaningful job skills, college classes]

• Families learned to “think outside the box” in accessing resources.

-- typical resources, including friends, relatives, other community members, clubs and teams, and technology such as “i-pads.-- formal resources used in nontraditional ways. [High school provided transportation to community college during last year].

• Experiences with formal adult services were mixed, with some disappointing experiences with adult services.

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Paid Internship at a College

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Filming Experience

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Graphic Arts Studio

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Work Experience – Organic Farm

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Red Tide Testing

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Working in Greenhouse

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Scanning Photos forMaine Memory Network

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Family-Centered Transition Planning leads to significantly improved outcomes over traditional transition planning for individuals with ASD.

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Sustainable Implementation

Blended FundingContracts •

Schools &

DOE• Voc.

Rehab. •

Devel. Svcs. •

Other?

Independent organization hosts FCTP

3-yr NIDRR Field-Initiated Development Project

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Sustainable ImplementationFCTP - In Maine

• Collaborating with Maine Medical Center Youth Employment Program.

• Mentoring professionals from Maine Medical Center and other agencies in planning facilitation.

• Working with advocacy organizations and school districts to develop Maine-based training curriculum for parents.

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Sustainable Implementation FCTP - In Maine (2)

• Working with Maine Vocational Rehabilitation to identify funding for planning component of project.

• Working with Maine Vocational Rehabilitation to identify VR counselors to work specifically with students in program.

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Expanded Goals

• Healthcare transition• Assistive Technology• Greater Influence on the Quality of

School Transition IEPs

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies

Sustainability

• Development of a Maine-Based Curriculum in Collaboration with agencies ,school districts, parent advocacy organizations, and self-advocates.

• Curriculum Additions:– Health Care Transition

– Use of Assistive Technology to Promote Employment, Independent Living, Community Participation and Management of Own Health Care