This article describes a qualitative study that examined how 23 young adults with pervasive support needs and limited functional communication spent their time and how their parents (n = 23) and direct support professionals (DSPs; n = 2) defined meaningfulness in relation to the young adults' experiences. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the parents and DSPs. Findings indicated that most of the young adults spent time in their communities, though typically without friends and not engaged in integrated employment. The participants defined meaningfulness according to three dimensions: community participation, individual indicators, and the nature of activities in the young adults' schedules. They also described both episodic and ongoing challenges that hindered their ability to focus on time spent meaningfully. Finally, their definitions, which reflected basic care needs and community participation goals, raised questions related to the awareness, availability, and utilization of services and supports in the adult developmental disabilities system. Keywords pervasive support needs, post-secondary outcomes, parents, employment Many young adults experience the pressure of trying to figure out what to do after K-12 schooling typically in the areas of post-secondary education, employment, and adult living. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA; 2004) emphasized these same goals for young adults with disabilities as part of national policy designed to ensure "equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities." However, research on post-school outcomes for students who received special education services indicates low rates of post-secondary school attendance, employment, and independent living, especially for those with more significant needs
Despite initiatives supporting young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to engage in post-secondary education and integrated employment, those with more intensive support needs are not as easily involved in these post-school experiences. In an effort to learn from positive examples, we examined parent involvement in meaningful post-school experiences by eight young adults with IDD and pervasive support needs. Secondary analysis of data from a prior interview study yielded this smaller sample of eight young adults with meaningful post-school experiences. Their parents were actively involved as fierce advocates and creative problem solvers. The active involvement of parents included: a) attitudinal facilitators, b) advocacy efforts and perceptions, and c) strategic actions. Implications for future research and practice are described.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.