Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities

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642) 26.78, p .01. Among 7 different items, parents were by far the most concerned about their child’s safety; almost 9 in 10 respondents rated this item a “5” on a 5-point scale. Conversely, parents were less interested that the PSE program provided an experience similar to a typical college environment; this item averaged the lowest rating (3.44) and received the lowest proportion of “5” ratings (30.6%; see Table 1). Similarly, as shown in Table 2, respondents reported that the most important PSE program component involved a focus on employment, whereas the two least important program components involved access to a college campus and residential options, F(6, 642) 8.48, p .01. TABLE 1 Figure 1. Differential parental attitudes toward PSE according to student reading level. Open-ended Questions Of the 108 respondents, 94 (87%) answered at least one open-ended question. Transition decisions. The first question asked respondents what would help them make transition decisions. Of the 92 respondents who answered this question, 57% answered that they needed more information to make educated decisions. Respondents noted that such information could come from a variety of sources, including teachers, service providers, PSE program representatives, and other parents. One respondent wrote, “It would be great if the school system had the information to give the parents on the options Mean Scores of the 7 Parental Concern Items, and Percent of the Sample Giving the Highest Rating (5 Very Concerned) Concern Regarding PSE Programs Mean Percent Highest Your child’s safety 4.72 (0.94) 88.0% Your child’s ability to function without you 4.34 (1.15) 64.8% Focus on employment after completion of program 4.29 (1.35) 67.6% Cost of the program 4.06 (1.41) 61.1% Distance of the program’s campus away from your home 3.94 (1.26) 47.2% Your child’s physical health 3.81 (1.56) 53.7% Program similar to a typical college experience 3.44 (1.55) 30.6% Family Perspectives / 343
TABLE 2 Mean Scores of the 7 PSE Program Component Items, and Percent Giving the Highest Rating (5 Very Important) Program Component Mean Percent Highest Focus on employment after completion of program 4.36 (1.15) 67.6% Structured social activities 4.24 (1.09) 56.5% Individual choice in curriculum 4.22 (1.12) 57.4% Inclusive learning environments 4.08 (1.24) 53.7% Opportunity for certification in a vocational area 4.01 (1.29) 50.0% Access to a college campus 3.60 (1.43) 38.9% Residential options 3.47 (1.45) 47.2% for these children. The school system drops the ball with these children.” Many respondents (37%) also wrote about specific program characteristics (e.g. location, cost, safety, and employment training). Fewer (16%) mentioned student characteristics, and the importance of matching programs to the specific needs of students. Finally, 6% expressed the need for more options; as one respondent wrote, “Options should be offered. Opportunities should be everywhere, just like they are for the general public.” Advice to other families. Of the 84 respondents that answered this question, 56% advised families to inform themselves about their rights and to plan ahead, for example, by placing the student on waiting lists for adult services early. A subset of this group (17% of respondents) advised parents to work with schools, community organizations, and other families. In contrast, 10% of all respondents advised parents not to rely on others. As one respondent wrote: “Do not wait for your guidance counselor . . . You need to be proactive and persistent in gathering this information.” A final group (15%) emphasized the importance of high expectations and individualized goals for students. An additional 8% expressed their inability to answer the question at all, stating that they needed advice themselves. One respondent wrote, “There is not a good road map. Things have been pretty clear up to this point. Part of this is likely my own unwillingness to look at a future that feels pretty bleak. Also, I am just tired of advocating and creating opportunities out of whole cloth.” Desired PSE characteristics. The final question asked respondents what an ideal PSE program for their child would be. Of the 85 respondents that answered this question, 21% mentioned practical skills development (e.g. training in handling money), and 19% emphasized the need for skilled teachers who can provide students structure and support. Other respondents (18%) emphasized employment training; another 18% expressed interest in social skills training, recreation, and socializing. Remaining respondents wrote about a variety of program components: academics, skills training, inclusion, and similarity to a typical college experience. Discussion As an initial step in determining the viability of PSE programs, our findings extend prior research by investigating the perspectives of families of students with intellectual disabilities. Findings emerged in three major areas: family attitudes toward PSE options; correlates with differential attitudes toward PSE; and families’ priorities and concerns about PSE programs. First, we found that parents considered PSE opportunities to be beneficial for their transitioning children, but that they did not think that educators encouraged this option. In comparing ratings of parent versus teacher encouragement of PSE options, parents rated themselves more interested than teachers. Most respondents (73%) lacked information and guidance about planning for PSE and, in the open-ended answers, parents wrote that school staff could do much more to facilitate 344 / Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities-September 2010
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Figure 2. Number of inquiry skills
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TABLE 4 Results of Parent Survey It
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data was not simply an artifact of
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Education and Training in Autism an
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TABLE 1 Students’ Description Sub
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served a communicative function. In
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Descriptive Analysis The first rese
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eakdown whenever it is the case. He
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stood attribution when two consecut
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within easy reach. The instructiona
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and provided Takao a pen with thin
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Figure 3. Percentages of correct re
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teacher whether we should fully hon
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components to be effective promptin
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ability (IQ 44, Stanford-Binet Inte
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TABLE 1 Task Analysis for Cooking R
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pographic); and (c) no response, ch
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Figure 2. Percentage of steps perfo
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Figure 4. Percentage of steps perfo
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ture audio feature of the PDA, but
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M. (1992). The effects of self oper
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TABLE 1 Stages of The Halliwick’s
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plete other steps (Tekin & Kɹrcaal
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Figure 1. Percentage of correct res
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Martin, J. (1981). The Halliwick Me
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systematic instruction to teach fou
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also extremely low with a standard
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Procedural reliability probes measu
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Discussion The purpose of this stud
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(1986). Stanford-Binet Intelligence
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focus on the important adults in th
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cording to the current environment
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that “she felt very inadequate in
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tive research. (2 nd Ed.). New Jers
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