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In the U.S. students in public schools with disabilities are protected via special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004). As part of these regulations, schools are required to provide students aged 16 years and older with transition services to prepare them for life as adults. Research shows that there are links between participation, social engagement, work and well-being (Cacioppo, et al., 2014; Gilson, et al., 2022; Holt-Lunstad, 2018; Macdonald, et al., 2018) as well as a link between social isolation and increased mortality and morbidity (Snyder-Mackler, et al., 2020; Yang, et al., 2016), and yet parents of individuals with moderate to severe/profound, complex, or low-incidence disabilities do not always have transition experiences they feel set their child up for success in real-life situations (Lee & Kim, 2021; Snell-Rood, et al., 2020). This research study used a mixed methods structure to obtain research regarding parent perspectives on specific areas schools need to address to create strong and meaningful transition plans for their students who have more involved disabilities and may require more support. A literature review, a web-based parent survey, 6 one-to-one interviews, and a focus group of 4 interview participants were conducted to drive development of an online, self-paced instructional course comprised of five modules designed to be implemented with school administrators and IEP team members (including, but not limited to teachers, related service providers, psychologists, support staff, parents and students) highlighting immediately implementable strategies to strengthen the IEP transition process in which they participate. Results compiled from all sources support five main areas or themes for creating meaningful transition: collaboration/team/relationships, community based/real-life instruction, presumed competence/mindset, knowledge, and skills (of the parent and school team members), and individualizing the IEP. Additional research supports the use of specific team members (e.g. vocational rehab transition specialist (Plotner & Dyamond, 2017)) and a case is made for ensuring transition teams for students with moderate to severe/profound, complex or low-incidence disabilities include occupational therapists who are trained in the value of using meaningful participation to improve quality of life for their clients (AOTA, 2020). / Temple University. College of Public Health / Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Abstract Interrupted behavior chain procedures have been shown to be an effective way to teach individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism to mand for missing objects and information concerning missing objects. Research has shown that an interrupted behavior chain procedure is more effective than traditional mand teach trials, which occur at the onset of a behavior chain or in a massed trial format. However, there is a lack of research evaluating the use of interrupted behavior chain procedures to teach vocal mands for missing items and the possible generalization effects thereof. This study evaluated the acquisition of vocal mands for missing items using interrupted behavior chain procedures, as well as participants' generalization of learned mands to novel behavior chains when said chains were interrupted. Each participant exhibited some form of generalization to a novel chain suggesting that interrupted behavior chains may be an efficient means to teach mands to children with autism. However, the extent to which a mand generalized across topographically distinct chains was different for each participant, suggesting that an individual's verbal repertoire could be a factor influencing generalization.

This exploratory study assessed the effectiveness of a cross-age tutoring intervention on adaptive behavior goals of three PreKindergarten/Kindergarten-aged students with labels of autism spectrum disorder. Data were collected in an inclusive environment; the school library. Three fourth grade general education cross-age tutors were trained to use a simple, naturalistic least-to-most prompting strategy to support the young students with individualized adaptive behavior goals while in the library. A mixed method design was utilized in this study; a quantitative single case multiple baseline across participants design to show performance outcomes of the young students as a result of the tutoring intervention, and a constant comparison analysis of qualitative data gathered from observations of students, students' written work, and a research journal. Quantitative results indicated all three young students performed the target behavior in the library with support from their cross-age tutors and this behavior maintained one month after intervention ended as evident through a maintenance probe; all three students made progress on the achievement of adaptive behavior goals in an inclusive environment from this intervention. Qualitative results indicated the cross-age tutoring experience was positive and powerful for all six participants involved as evident through the construction of six themes that emerged from the qualitative data.