Reform advocates have often recommended using interdisciplinary teams, advisory groups, and transition activities to comprise appropriate educational programs for young adolescents. Using 1988 Johns Hopkins University middle grades survey data, researchers explored "real world" use of these components and gauged their effectiveness.…

This paper analyzes the philosophy and goal strategies of transition programs, focusing on criteria for success, needs of the disabled, training of personnel, staffing, client controls, the pre-transition school environment, the adult transition environment, and integration into adult society. Several recommendations for improved transition…

Adults (N=153) with mild mental retardation attending a transitional vocational program were evaluated based upon the multiaxial criteria of the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual." Fifty-three percent were diagnosed as meeting Axis I criteria, and 17.6 percent met criteria for an Axis II diagnosis, involving…

Project AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a four-year elective high school program that prepares underachieving, disadvantaged students to attend college. The program is now implemented in 58 secondary schools in San Diego County, California. (TE)

Preschool teachers can assist parents as their special needs children make the transition from the home or other services into public preschool programs. Respecting parent concerns, providing for individualized parent involvement, normalizing the classroom environment, and allowing time for adjustment are some ways that teachers can help. (JDD)

This article describes a collaborative project of New Mexico's State Vocational Education Division, Department of Special Education, and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the University of New Mexico to develop a transition to work process for students with disabilities at three rural sites. The article describes administrative support,…

This article describes the University of Pennsylvania's School of Dental Medicine's Program for Advanced Standing Students (PASS) which provides graduates of foreign dental schools with an intensive summer program to prepare them for integration with four-year students for the last two years of didactic and clinical curriculum. A survey of 72 PASS…

A study of the management of literacy needs of rehabilitation clients moving from the health sector back into the community is reported. Focusing on people with physical impairments or brain damage, the study examined what health professionals know about adult literacy programs, identification and management of literacy needs, and perception of…

Effective services for youth in transition can be delivered through a five-phase process approach to skill acquisition in which the level of intervention is appropriate for the target population. A hierarchical model of self-directed adaptation, consisting of seven levels of intervention, is proposed as a context for program development. (LKS)

This study identified potential measures for evaluating 17 multiple outcomes and 51 activities associated with programs designed to promote employment of youths with disabilities. The qualitative and quantitative measures identified were compiled from responses of 30 employment-focused project directors. A table lists all outcomes and indicators.…

Applied Bronfenbrenner's social ecology model to families that include a member with a developmental disability and who are making the transition from institution to community. Presents an overview of the model as well as a discussion of counselors' use of it in providing services to families in this situation. (RJM)

Follow Through, a Head Start transitional model serving low-SES children, requires active home-school collaboration. This study, which examines methods used by Follow Through teachers to contact families, shows that positive attitudes may not translate into innovative communication practices. Two-way methods were used primarily for high-ability…

Reports a study of a retention procedure in Texas in which children are placed in prefirst grade classrooms rather than promoted to regular first grade after kindergarten. Discusses the procedure's effectiveness and appropriateness, reasons for children's placement, children's behavioral problems, parental motivation and approval, and student…

This introduction to four papers (EC 604 277-280) notes the increasing literature focus on adults with learning disabilities, describes adult development models and their application, outlines six life domains that provide a framework for examining successful adjustment of young adults with learning disabilities, and examines transition planning…

Analysis of writing samples from 135 students and interviews with 6 students about their experiences as sixth graders centered around 4 questions: (1) informants about school; (2) amount of stress; (3) safety; and (4) students' perception of school. Outlines activities that might improve the informant role of parents, siblings and peers, and…