The quality of life of 188 young adults with moderate or severe mental retardation was examined. Schalock and Keith's (1993) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q) was used as the primary outcome measure. Young adults who had exited high school had significantly higher overall quality of life scores than did those who were still attending school. Individuals who had jobs in the community also had significantly higher levels of quality of life. Although young adult adaptive functioning was the single largest indicator of the QOL-Q index total score and three of the four subscales, it was not related to scores on the Satisfaction subscale. Here, family- and environment-related variables played a greater role. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Little is known regarding the extent to which schools are implementing transition programming for students with severe mental retardation and other related issues: parent expectations of transition outcomes, postschool vocational outcomes, and parent involvement in the transition process. These issues were examined with 52 families who had transition age sons or daughters with severe mental retardation. Results revealed that (a) schools are providing a variety of instruction in the area of transition; (b) parents' ideal views of vocational outcomes are not always consistent with their realistic views; (c) for students who have exited the school system, the majority (54%) are working in segregated environments; and (d) families are very involved in the transition programming of their sons or daughters.

Several researchers have argued that the functional behavior assessment (FBA) and behavior intervention plan (BIP) mandates in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 2004 have gone beyond the current research base. For instance, although BIPs have been shown to improve student outcomes when implemented with strict control and oversight by researchers, it is unclear whether these relationships hold true when implemented under real educational conditions. The purpose of this research was to conduct an initial study evaluating the relationship among the evidence-based quality of federally mandated BIPs, treatment integrity, and student outcomes under real-world educational conditions free from the help of researchers. Results indicated that the evidence-based quality of BIPs was significantly related to positive student outcomes. Results also supported the role of treatment integrity as a mediator of the relationship between the evidence-based quality of BIPs and student outcomes. The implications and limitations of this research as well as directions for future research are discussed.

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The transition from high school to adulthood is a critical life stage that entails many changes, especially for youth with severe intellectual disability. The transition period may be especially stressful for the families of these young adults, who often experience a sudden change, or decrease, in services. However, little research has examined what constitutes a successful transition for the families of these individuals. The present study examined parent perspectives of transition for 128 young adults with severe intellectual disability, specifically, parent satisfaction with transition. Results suggested that transition satisfaction is related to young adult, family, and environmental characteristics, with environmental characteristics being the strongest predictors of transition satisfaction. Furthermore, transition satisfaction is related to multiple measures of family well being, indicating the tremendous need for considering the broader family system when planning for a young adult's transition. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.