Practical strategies for improving postsecondary outcomes for students with EBD

Abstract

Transition from high school to adulthood is a difficult period of life for all youth, especially those with disabilities. Research indicates students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) experience difficulties in transitioning to post-school environment. Their postschool outcomes in the areas of education, employment, and community participation continue to concern researchers, practitioners, and families and, therefore, demand improvement. Identification and implementation of transition-related evidence-based practices (EBPs) is essential for teachers who work with students with EBD to increase the likelihood of positive adult outcomes for these students. Discussed in this article are transition-related recommendations and practical strategies that may be used by teachers and other education professionals preparing students with EBD for life after school.

Supporting Transition-Readiness Skills for Adolescents With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Using Check-In/Check-Out

“…Skills related to self-determination, social skills instruction, and vocational training are areas in which students with EBD need more explicit and individualized instruction to better prepare them for the transition from school to postschool outcomes (Davis & Cumming, 2019a, b). Building upon these prior adaptations and intensifications, we offer additional suggestions for practitioner use specific to the transition-readiness skill areas of self-determination, social skills instruction, and vocational training.…”

“…Building upon these prior adaptations and intensifications, we offer additional suggestions for practitioner use specific to the transition-readiness skill areas of self-determination, social skills instruction, and vocational training. Once implemented and student mastered, these skills can assist students with EBD in achieving higher quality of life outcomes upon graduation (Davis & Cumming, 2019b).…”

Early Bird Gets the Worm: The Use of the Self-Directed IEP at the Middle School Level for Students with EBD

“…One potential solution to improve the post-school outcomes of students with disabilities, including those with EBD, is providing an effective and high-quality transition plan (Davis & Cumming, 2019; Test et al, 2009). To adequately prepare students with disabilities for a successful move from high school to adulthood, all IEPs must include transition planning information that specifically outlines the individual student’s future plans and the required services and supports to attain them.…”

“…This transition gap denotes an interruption of services and supports between kindergarten and the required age for transition planning (usually at age 16 or younger depending on the state), which is detrimental to student learning and post-school outcomes. An early emphasis on transition for students with disabilities, and especially those with EBD, could counteract the negative effects of this gap and promote a continuous, seamless, and cohesive transition process starting as early as the upper elementary grades (Cimera et al, 2013; Davis & Cumming, 2019). Early transition targeting the multifaceted needs of students with EBD could be part of a successful transition process to the post-school environments of living, learning, and working.…”

“…Addressing transition services in middle school could also provide additional opportunities for educators to implement interventions focusing on transition-related skills, include diverse community-based experiences sooner, and allow students more time for their career exploration and preparation process (Davis & Cumming, 2019; Weidenthal & Kochhar-Bryant, 2007). With the implementation of research- or evidence-based practices, such as the SD IEP, no later than middle school, educators might maintain the continuity of services and supports from childhood into adulthood, which may result in better in- and post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, including those with EBD.…”