Supporting a Seamless

Transition to Adulthood*

John Butterworth
Alberto Migliore
Autism NOW Webinar
February 24, 2011
*Certo et al, 2003
 NLTS2 Students:
Will eventually get a paid job
 What are our priorities?
People told us their priorities were getting


married, having their own home, and

getting a job.
We had to ask of our 250 staff how many


are wholly focused on helping people:

 Develop significant relationships
 Find a job
 Become home owners?
 Peggy Terhune, Arc of Stanley County
Transition Service Integration Model
Certo et al. – California
The last day of school should be no different
than the day after
❖ Service delivery model shifts from public
school to integration across multiple systems
❖ Schools
integrate staff and resources with
community providers, state VR, state DD for
§ meaningful work outcomes
§ authorization for continued support after
graduation
Transition Service Integration Model
❖ Completely community based class by last year
❖ Employment in integrated settings
Hired directly by the employer
❖ Non-work activities in normalized settings
❖ Individualized
schedules and choice of
employment options
❖ Adult agency employment specialists involved
❖ Cost sharing: school system, state VR, state DD
❖ Paidwork with post-school support in place before
school exit.
 Services and Outcomes for
Transition Age Young Adults with
Autism: Secondary Analysis of the
NLTS2
 Goals

❖ Describe transition
experiences
❖

❖ Inform design of transition

services and supports
 What’s the source of the data?

❖ NationalLongitudinal Transition Study

(NLTS2)
❖ 10 year longitudinal study (2000-2010)
❖ About 500 LEAs and 30 special schools
❖ About 5,000 young adults (Weighted)
❖ Age 13 to 16 at entry
❖ Over 10,000 variables
❖
What types of disabilities were
involved?
 Parent expectations
Will students get jobs?
 What were the primary
post-high school goals?
Percent of Students with Goal
❖

❖
Did youth think that
IEP goals were right?
What services did the
students receive?
What contacts did schools make?
What were the outcomes after HS?
 Recommendations

❖ Increase expectations for students with autism

❖ Focus on competitive employment as a goal
❖ Encourage students to attend postsecondary
education
❖ Involve students in transition planning
❖ Expand services such as career skills assessment
and career counseling
❖ Focus research on youth with autism and their
experiences in high school and the
relationships with transition outcomes.
Supporting a Seamless
Transition
 Washington Partnership Project
Elements
❖ MOU with key partners:
Schools, DVR, DDD, providers, students, parents,
parent organizations, employers, Work Source
Center, WIA youth service, community and
technical colleges, self-advocacy groups,
transportation, training and TA providers
❖ Transition Councils or inter-agency groups
❖ Adult employment provider participation
❖ Transition Fairs or Conferences
❖ Transition Info & Education
 Washington Partnership Project
❖ TA & Training for teachers, employment
providers, families, students and others.
❖ Peer Mentor Groups or Job Clubs for young
adults who are working or want to work
❖ Business networks or other employer initiatives
❖ Use of local workforce data, wage information,
top county employers

 Strategies
❖ Family Forums
❖ Family-to-family networks
❖ DVDs, story telling
❖ Use of personal agents to facilitate transition
❖ Transition Coordinator
❖ DDD/DVR data exchange agreement
❖ Early IWRP
❖ Early engagement with adult provider
❖ Jefferson County Flight Team (DVR, DD, parent)
❖ King County/DVR contract
(DD forward funds supports)
❖ Routine person centered planning
❖ DD county contract for apprenticeships
❖6 career experiences before graduation
❖

❖ Community based models

Lake Washington Transition Academy
❖ Community College based models
Shoreline Community College
 Lake Washington Transition
Academy Mission
Students, parents, school staff, and agencies working
together to plan and provide a set of activities and
services that are student centered, community based,
predictable, accountable, and result in quality transition
outcomes:
 "Places to go, people to see, things to do”
❖A full and meaningful schedule of work and other
community activities at graduation
❖ Active and contributing community membership

 Outcomes

❖ An active, viable, and continuing

personalized transition plan based upon the
capacities and interests of the individual student
❖A portfolio of community and work experiences
❖ An established network of support that continues
with a student beyond their exit from the school
system
❖ Active engagement in a weekly schedule of
meaningful work and community activities
("places to go, people to see, and things to do")
 Shoreline Community Based
Transition Program
❖ Based at Community College
❖ School/CountyDDD/DVR co-fund
employment consultant
❖ Operates in shifts (11-4; 12:30-5:30)
❖ Classroom & work
❖ Access to college resources
❖ 35 job sites
❖ Job placement in final year
 Delaware Early Start Project

❖ DVR, DDD, DOE

Higher education, schools, families
❖ Students engage at start of final year
❖ Selection of adult provider
❖ Career planning and job development
begin in Fall (moving earlier)
❖ Funding primarily from DVR/DDD
 Questions/Concerns

❖ Services won’t be there

❖ Students leading IEP meetings
❖ Importance of vision
§ Work
§ Rest of the day
❖ Parent education/family as transition coordinator
❖ Limited connection between DD and schools (or
VR)
❖ How make this work smoothly?



 Resources
❖ Transition Service Integration Model
http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=705
Certo, N. J., Mautz, D., Pumpian, I., Sax, C., Smalley, T., Wade, H., et al.
(2003). A review and discussion of a model for seamless transition to
adulthood. Education & Training in Developmental Disabilities, 38(1), 3-
18.

❖ Washington Partnership Jobs by 21

http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/adsa/ddd/Jobs%20by%2021%20Report.pdf

❖ Lake Washington Transition Academy

http://www.lwsd.org/school/ta

❖ HighlineCommunity
Collegehttp://www.communityinclusion.org/article.php?
article_id=304
 John Butterworth
(617) 287-4357
john.butterworth@umb.edu
Alberto Migliore
alberto.migliore@umb.edu
Tel. 617-287-4306
www.communityinclusion.org/aie
www.StateData.info
www.RealWorkStories.org