Youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience poor outcomes in the areas of independence, employment, and postsecondary education. This article provides a critical review of the key aspects of the transition process and identifies recommendations for policy and practice. The review highlights the literature and explores recommendations across the manifold elements of this transition, including social and psychological development, high school curriculum, work, and college. Five policy recommendations are outlined in the areas of school curriculum, employment development, postsecondary education, inclusion with nondisabled peers, and systematic instruction. Finally, the authors offer recommendations for further research in the areas of social interaction, increased academic and vocational rigor, employment, technology, independence, and postsecondary education.

Progress toward competitive and integrated employment (CIE) for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) over the last 40 years has been mixed. Despite evidence showing that supported employment interventions can enable adults with I/DD to effectively get and keep jobs, national rates of integrated employment remain below a third of the working age population (Hiersteiner et al., 2016). Progress is being made to improve these outcomes. Pathways have been identified that lead to CIE through supported employment, customized employment, internship experiences, and postsecondary education (Siperstein, Heyman, & Stokes, 2014; Wehman, 2011). The recent passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) has created fresh momentum and increased the onus on interagency collaboration. This article examines what is known about promoting CIE through these pathways and highlights recommendations for future research and policy change. Recommendations for the future are provide direction toward positive change in CIE into the 21 st century.

This investigation examined the effects of a classroom-based intervention, Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Training: Competent Learners Achieving School Success (BEST in CLASS), on teacher behaviors and child outcomes in early childhood classrooms. First, we examined the effects of professional development training and practice-based coaching (including performance feedback) on teachers’ implementation and maintenance of the BEST in CLASS model practices. Next, we examined the effects of teachers’ implementation of these practices on young children’s engagement and problem behaviors. Using a descriptive nonexperimental design, 10 teachers and 19 children received the intervention. Findings indicated that teachers’ use of the BEST in CLASS practices including rules, precorrection, opportunities to respond, behavior-specific praise, and instructive and corrective feedback increased from baseline to completion of the intervention and these increases maintained. In addition, children’s engagement increased while their problem behaviors decreased. Although these results are promising, the current investigation has limitations and the results should be viewed with caution.

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