Postsecondary Expectations for a Student in a Rural Middle School: Impact of Person-Centered Planning on Team Member Agreement

Abstract This article describes the impact of a MAPS process on team member agreement on postsecondary expectations and goals for a middle school student with Autism Spectrum Disorders in a rural area. The results revealed similarities and differences in the belieft and expectations of the participants on the transition team and that the MAPS approach increased agreement in the short term. Keywords: MAPS, transition, autism spectrum disorder For many teenagers, the years between adolescence and adulthood are spent preparing for their future (Arnett, 2000). Preparing for adulthood requires that teenagers learn to (a) set goals; (b) make important decisions regarding education, career, and living arrangements; (c) accept responsibility for their choices; (d) develop friendships; and (e) become financially independent. Teenagers often rely on family members and school counselors to help them develop a realistic plan to ensure their transition to adulthood is successful. Career education, which often begins in elementary school, includes instruction of skills necessary for adulthood as well as an introduction into career options available in adult life (Sitlington 8c Clark, 2006). Teenagers with disabilities also require realistic plans and educational opportunities, including specific supports, to ensure a successful transition to adulthood (Benz, Lindstrom, & Yovanoff, 2000; Blackorby & Wagner, 1996; Michaels & Ferrara, 2005). In 1984, Madeline Will, an administrator in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS), recognized the need for transition supports and initiated transition services for youth with disabilities. The following year, she directed a federal initiative on transition services in OSERS that eventually resulted in the first legal mandate supporting transition services for students with disabilities (Guy & Johnson, 1997). Transition Planning According to IDEA 2004, all students age 16 and older must have Individualized Transition Plans (ITPs) as part of their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs; Li, Bassett, & Hutchinson, 2009). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 defines transition services as a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that: (a) is designed to be within a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child's movement from school to post-school activities, including postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment); continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation; (b) is based on the individual child's needs, taking into account the child's strengths, preferences, and interests; (c) includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and if appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation [34 CFR 300.43 (a)] [20 U.S.C. 1401934)]. The ITP can be developed sooner (i.e., middle school) if the IEP team deems it necessary because die student has a more challenging disability, such as autism. Like the IEP, the ITP is developed using a collaborative team approach. IEP team members, consisting of the student, parents, special education teacher, general education teachers, related service providers, administrators, and representatives of relevant community organizations, such as the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, meet and develop an ITP that includes a description of the student's strengths and needs and specific goals and objectives that target employment, postsecondary education, living arrangements, community participation, and overall adjustment to adult life (Halpern, 1994; Roberts, 2010). Parent and student involvement in transition planning. …