Transition programs designed to ease the middle to high school transition are becoming a necessity in high school because ninth grade is deemed as a critical year for determining students’ success in high school. Few studies examined transition programs’ impact on students’ educational outcomes, and transition research is typically conducted in inner-city or urban settings. The purpose of this case study was to examine the impact of a full transition model program on ninth grade students’ performance in a rural high school. A comparison of the students who participated in the transition program to those who did not was examined by using a mixed method approach. The qualitative data consisted of the ninth grade teachers and administrators’ perceptions and the program documents. The quantitative data consisted of a chi-square analysis of the transition and nontransition program students’ pass rate of high stakes tests, earned credits, retention status, out-of-school suspensions, dropout status, and attendance. The study also examined if specific groups of students as categorized by race, gender, and socioeconomics were impacted more by the transition program. The findings of this study suggested that the transition program may have eased the transition by providing support to ninth grade students to improve their conduct. The quantitative evidence does not show other significant benefits from the transition program, however. Improving academic performance still remains a challenge for this rural high school. / Ph. D.

abstract: Overview: Transition from the pediatric to adult care setting for 'emerging adults' (ages 18- 26) continues to develop as a growing concern in health care. The Adolescent Transition Program teaches chronically ill 'emerging adults' disease self-management skills while promoting a healthy lifestyle. Transferring this knowledge is vital for successful health care outcomes. Unfortunately, patients who have been transferred to the adult care setting, report that they felt lost in the system due to lack of communication between care teams, inadequate support systems, and insufficient disease management knowledge. To address these gaps, the design of the physical environment must adapt to these challenges while also meeting the needs of various chronic illnesses. Methodology: Design thinking or human-centered design was utilized as the vehicle to discover unmet 'emerging adult' and adolescent health clinician needs. Ethnographic research methods involved observations at adolescent health clinics and in learning environments outside of the healthcare setting as well as interviews with 5 outpatient adolescent clinicians. A survey was also conducted with 16 'emerging adults' to understand how they learn. Lastly, a literature review explored the history of the adolescent, adolescent development, adolescence and chronic illness, and The Adolescent Transition Program. Results: Findings revealed that physical environment must be conducive to meet a variety of clinical and education activities such as chronic disease management, support adolescent development, and should be more human-centered. The space should transform to the patient education or clinical activity rather than the activity transforming to the space. Five design recommendations were suggested to ensure that the outpatient clinic supported both clinician and 'emerging adults' needs. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.D. Design 2014

Since socialization deficits are the primary characteristic of autism spectrum disorder, attaining and maintaining employment in adulthood can prove to be problematic. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a nine-week program designed to teach workplace social skills to young adults with autism in a community setting. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze outcomes. Quantitative methods consisted of live observational behavioral coding. Qualitative measures used written intake and discharge reports, obtained from the program's coordinators, to analyze their perceptions of pre-intervention goals and post-intervention outcomes and remaining barriers related to social skills. Overall outcomes suggest the program does produce slight improvement in social skills for individuals with autism. Quantitative outcomes indicated specific improvements in engagement and quality of engagement when participants were in the presence of both coworkers and the public. Likewise, qualitative report comparisons indicated improvements in specific conversation skill areas. Based on this study's findings, schools and communities should encourage transition services to teach workplace social skills to young adults with autism in community-based settings. This type of learning experience may better prepare these young adults for successful future employment.

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that a transition plan be in place for students with disabilities by the time they turn 16. This plan aims to facilitate the child’s movement from high school “to post-school activities, including postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), and continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation,” (20 U.S. C. 1401 (34)). Despite these mandates, studies have shown that youth with disabilities are having poor post-school outcomes when compared to their peers (Lindsay at el., 2019; Lipscomb et al., 2018; Rowe et al., 2021; Test, Mazzotti et al., 2009). Occupational therapy practitioners (OTP) are well situated to collaboratively work as part of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team with transition planning (Kardos & White, 2005). The OTP is distinctly qualified to assist the IEP team with developing goals, improving activities of daily living, assisting with staff and student training, and determining student occupational interests. Transition interventions are a widely variable and unregulated area of practice for school-based OTPs. Opportunity Café represents a solution to the problem of poor post-school outcomes for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This transition intervention applies evidenced based practices to guide education teams, students, and families through the transition planning process. It fulfills a need mandated by the IDEA for IEP teams to support the transition needs of students with IDD and provides an inclusive workplace to facilitate growth. Opportunity Café is a dynamic community-based replicable program that can impact student success. Program guidelines, methods for program dissemination, evaluation, and funding are discussed.

Several research studies have suggested that individuals with ID are at an increased risk of being a target of victimization (Hughes et al., 2012; Wilson et al.,1992). Therapists, caregivers, primary care providers, and school staff may also undervalue or fail to teach critical safety skills early in childhood or in the adolescent years, which increases risk of victimization in adulthood (Dembo et al., 2018). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness, generalizability, and maintenance of the use of behavior skills training to teach stranger safety skills to young adults with intellectual disabilities. Specifically, a two-step safety response in the presence of a lure from a stranger. Overall, the current study’s results demonstrate that the intervention was effective at teaching this population stranger safety skills. Results of the current study also suggest that the target skill was generalizable across settings and maintained at a 13 week follow up. Furthermore, the intervention was rated high for social validity among most participants. Future studies should continue to explore the effectiveness, generalizability, and maintenance of these results.

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Une multitude d’études se sont penchées, dans les dernières décennies, sur les programmes de transition, tels que les programmes de résidence infirmière, ainsi que leurs divers effets sur l’expérience d’intégration à la pratique des infirmières nouvellement diplômées (IND). Les programmes de résidence auraient un impact positif sur le développement de leurs habiletés et compétences ainsi que sur leur intégration sociale au sein d’unité de soins. Certaines études témoignent de l’importance du développement professionnel dans le maintien et l’amélioration de la qualité des soins, mais aucune étude, à notre connaissance, ne se penche sur l’influence d’un programme de résidence infirmière (PRI) sur la compétence de l’IND à s’investir dans son développement professionnel. Cette étude a pour but d’explorer les perceptions d’IND sur le développement de leur compétence « Assurer son développement professionnel et contribuer au développement des compétences de ses collègues » à la suite de leur participation à un PRI sur une unité de soins intensifs néonatals. Pour cette recherche, le référentiel de compétences développé au Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine a servi de cadre référence. Cette étude qualitative exploratoire au devis descriptif interprétatif comporte une collecte de données au moyen d’entrevues individuelles semi-structurées auprès de six infirmières ayant débuté, dans leurs six premiers mois de pratique, un programme de résidence infirmière à l’unité de soins intensifs néonatals d’un centre hospitalier universitaire pédiatrique du Québec. À la suite de l’analyse thématique des données collectées, les résultats portent sur le développement professionnel au service de l’amélioration continue de la pratique infirmière, l’évolution de la vision de la pratique infirmière, l’évolution des moyens pour assurer leur développement professionnel ainsi que le programme de résidence infirmière comme levier au développement professionnel. À la lumière de ces résultats, différentes recommandations pour la pratique, la recherche ainsi que la formation sont émises. / Over the past decades, multiple studies have looked into transition to practice programs such as nurse residency programs (NRP), as well as their various effects on the entry-to-practice experience of newly graduated nurses (NGN). NRP have a positive impact on the NGN’s development of skills and competencies as well as social integration within their unit. Some studies show the importance of professional development in maintaining and improving the quality of care, but no study, to our knowledge, examines the influence of a NRP on the competency of the NGN to invest in their professional development. The purpose of this study is to explore NGN's perceptions of the development of the competency "To ensure professional development and contribute to the competency development of their of colleagues" following their participation in an NRP on a neonatal intensive care unit. For this research, the competency framework developed at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center served as a study framework. This exploratory qualitative study with an interpretative descriptive design involves data collection by means of semi-structured individual interviews with six nurses who, in their first six months of practice, began a nursing residency program in the neonatal intensive care unit. of a pediatric university hospital center in Quebec. Following the thematic analysis of the data collected, the results relate to professional development for the continuous improvement of nursing practice, the evolution of the vision of nursing practice, the evolution of means to ensure their professional development as well as the NRP as a lever for professional development. In the light of these results, various recommendations for practice, research as well as training are issued.