Evaluation Options for Secondary Transition Planning

Abstract

This article presents a model evaluation plan conducted by occupational therapists that may be used to contribute information to the transition planning process in secondary school students with disabilities. Occupational therapists are not fully participating in transition services within secondary schools. One of the major obstacles to full participation identified in a previous research study by the authors of this article was that few occupational therapists were aware of appropriate evaluation options available for secondary transition planning. The authors in this article review the evaluation needs for secondary transition services in general, describe occupational therapy's role in contributing to the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and describe an evaluation method that gathers key information pertinent to the occupational therapy role. A case study is presented that illustrates how these assessment tools were applied to develop IEP goals in one student's transition plan.

Transition for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: South African Parent and Professional Perspectives

“…Thus, the school implements IEPs focused on goals for future readiness of adulthood. Indeed, Kardos and White (20) assert that transition services are currently not addressing all areas of need of learners in all life areas, including community and personal and social relationships.…”

“…Although there is a growing increase in awareness of the needs and support for adolescents and young adults published internationally (3, 7, 10, 20–22), there is limited accessible information and service facilities in South Africa. Families, schools, and services need support in implementing existing knowledge into practical strategies for these individuals.…”

Occupational Therapy Services for Transition-Age Youth with Moderate to Severe Disabilities: A Scoping Review

“…Data from each article was extracted into eight categories and can be found in the data extraction table in supplemental documents. [2][3][4][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Data Synthesis Data from each article was extracted according to eight categories including author, participants, purpose, study design, stakeholders, assessment used, intervention/method used, and the findings of the article. Data from the extraction table was then synthesized into three categories: interventions, assessments, and service delivery approach.…”

“…Of the studies examined in this scoping review, 40 different interventions were identified. The types of interventions included occupations, activities, assistive technology and environmental modifications, self-regulation, education, training, advocacy, and functional group interventions [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] (See Table 1). The most common type of intervention used is occupation (22.5%).…”

“…Studies targeting occupation worked primarily on Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) such as financial management, transportation, safety awareness, shopping, cooking, cleaning, meal preparation. 5,[12][13][14][15][18][19][20]23,28 Interventions that focused on occupations such as laundry, practicing driving, answering the phone, job applications, using credit cards, meal planning and cooking demonstrated improvements six months after intervention and parents showed positive experience and satisfaction. 15…”