Food-preparation skills are important independent living skills for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that support postschool success. Researchers have long explored how technology-based interventions can support students with ASD in acquiring independent living skills. An emerging technology-based intervention to support independent living skills is virtual reality (VR). Through this single-case design study, researchers explored if a non-immersive VR was effective in teaching food-preparation skills (i.e., one student focused on the stove and two on the microwave) to three Black high school students with ASD educated in an urban fringe district. Through this pilot small-n study, the researchers found a functional relation between the non-immersive VR and the dependent variable of independent accuracy in completing the targeted food-preparation tasks within the VR system; all Tau effect sizes were over .75, suggestive of a large effect for each participant. Yet, the results are limited by the small sample size of the single-case design. Researchers also determined students could generalize at least once the targeted food-preparation tasks in a real kitchen with moderate to high levels of accuracy. Implications of this study included that non-immersive VR can support secondary students with ASD in acquiring independent living skills and, to some extent, supports students generalizing skills from virtual settings to the real world.

High rates of attrition in secondary transition research present a persistent challenge to sustaining research-to-practice partnerships (RPPs) in special education. Districts and schools often face structural, leadership, and personnel barriers that hinder their ability to participate fully in research, particularly in initiatives focused on improving postschool outcomes for students with disabilities. Similarly, higher education and research institutions contend with systemic challenges, including rigid timelines, funding constraints, and top-down research agendas, which can limit their ability to engage in RPPs. This conceptual paper introduces the School/District Readiness Rubric for Secondary Transition Research, a tool designed to assess readiness across five domains: institutional capacity, infrastructure and resources, administrative commitment, sustainability potential, and collaborative community partnerships. Informed by implementation science, RPP literature, and feedback from high schools that withdrew from a federally funded efficacy study, the rubric aims to minimize attrition, strengthen school-researcher collaboration, and enhance the long-term feasibility of transition research efforts. Practical guidance is offered for using the rubric to (a) align research initiatives with district and institutional priorities, (b) support grant development, and (c) co-design studies that are both methodologically rigorous and grounded in the realities of practice and policy contexts.

Daily living skills (DLS) are crucial to the postschool success of all students with disabilities. However, there are discrepancies in the opportunities and supports for the development of DLS for students with intellectual disability and autism. In this pre-registered study, we used data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 to create a latent construct of DLS and examine its relationship with economic hardship. Results indicated students with intellectual disability and autism had the lowest level of DLS compared with students with high-incidence disabilities. Non-White students faced higher levels of economic hardship compared with White students. Results from this study have implications for large-scale survey design and indicate a need for additional research on students of color with intellectual disability or autism.

The purpose of this study was to understand transition educators’ perceptions of key features of community-based work experiences (CBWEs) that facilitate growth for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We interviewed 20 transition educators who planned and implemented CBWEs for transition-aged youth with IDD within the last 5 years. We used thematic analysis procedures to identify key features of CBWEs that facilitated growth for students with IDD. Transition educators identified four key features of CBWEs including (a) meaningful work experiences, (b) instruction, (c) support networks, and (d) high expectations. We discuss the implications of our findings related to transition educators’ planning and implementation of CBWEs for students with IDD as well as additional research that is needed to better understand how to provide high-quality CBWEs that prepare students with IDD for competitive, integrated employment.

College students with and without disabilities completed measures of Planned Happenstance Skills (PHS) and reported their demographic attributes (i.e., age, year of study, gender, race/ethnicity, SES, disability status). In general, the result shows that disability status, gender, race/ethnicity, and year of study were significant predictors of PHS levels. We also examined the magnitude of differences in PHS in each dimension (i.e., curiosity, flexibility, persistence, optimism, and risk-taking) between college students with and without disabilities after controlling for the key covariates. The result shows that college students with disabilities generally exhibited similar and slightly higher PHS levels compared to their counterparts without disabilities. Possible explanations of the results and limitations are discussed, along with implications for research and practice.

Although transition services for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) in Saudi Arabia are required by special education law and regulations, no literature synthesizes peer-reviewed studies focused on transition services for individuals with ID in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to describe the peer-reviewed studies that have been published in English and Arabic over the past 15 years (2008–2023) related to transition services for individuals with ID in Saudi Arabia, the period in which the Saudi Arabian government has provided a new focus on the needs of individuals with disabilities. Our search yielded 22 studies that met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Results were discussed in terms of the lack of research focused on transition services and the lack of transition services available for individuals with ID in Saudi Arabia. A discussion of the limitations of this study, as well as the implications for future research, are provided.

A main goal of secondary transition is to prepare and empower all students to pursue their goals after completing high school. Mixed methods research, which integrates qualitative and quantitative approaches, can provide insights into secondary transition experiences and outcomes for secondary youth with disabilities. Although mixed methods research may inform transition planning, practice, and services, little is known about the application of mixed methods research in the field of secondary transition. This systematic literature review examined the application of mixed methods approaches across 39 peer-reviewed articles focused on secondary transition research. Emphasis was placed on the recent scope of mixed methods research in secondary transition and the quality assessment of methods used in included studies. The results indicated mixed methods research focuses on a range of transition predictors and outcomes. However, quality assessment of included articles revealed that quality indicators were inconsistently applied, with few articles meeting items that were unique to mixed methods approaches. Recommendations for the application of mixed methods within the field of secondary transition are discussed along with suggestions and implications for future research, policy, and practice.

This systematic literature review provides a comprehensive evaluation of the experimental intervention research being published from 2010 to 2020 within Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals (CDTEI). We critically evaluated studies found through a hand-search of CDTEI and identified patterns and trends across ten years based on study characteristics, focus of the experimental literature, and adherence to reporting standards set by the National Technical Assistance Center (NTACT) through their quality indicators. A total of 208 articles were reviewed following The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines as a framework. Approximately 17% ( n = 36) of documents used an experimental design that fit inclusion criteria. Of these, 47% were group design and 53% used a single case design. Results suggest a need to shift away from efficacy research to effectiveness-based research with a focus on real-life academic settings and natural change agents. Findings suggest a critical need for the educational research community to enhance the trustworthiness of scientific findings with convincing data analysis methods that are reliable and valid for the conclusions drawn.

Work-based learning experiences (WBLEs) provide students with opportunities to learn about careers and gain work skills required for post-school employment. WBLEs may be especially important for students with extensive support needs (ESN) who often struggle to access competitive, integrated employment after graduation. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers’ beliefs about the benefits of and barriers to school and community WBLEs for students with ESN. We invited 1,498 U.S. special education teachers with a license in ESN to participate. Eligibility criteria required teachers to have at least one high school student with ESN on their caseload. Of the 273 teachers who responded, 137 met criteria and completed the questionnaire. We used descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analyses, and nonparametric inferential statistics to analyze our data. Teachers believed students benefit from WBLEs because they learn skills and have improved outcomes; however, they rated student outcomes higher for community WBLEs (vs. school WBLEs). Barriers to WBLEs included limited resources, stakeholder support, curriculum, and support for students. Teachers rated barriers related to stakeholder support and support for students higher for community WBLEs (vs. school WBLEs). Teachers’ beliefs about the benefits of and barriers to WBLEs varied by their experience with WBLEs. Implications for future research about students’ experiences during WBLEs and how teachers make decisions about WBLEs are discussed.

There is a common narrative in the field of transition: students with disabilities continue to experience poorer post-school outcomes compared with their peers without disabilities. After decades of research and practice, scholars and practitioners have impacted countless numbers of students. However, disparate outcomes for diverse youth still exist. The Division on Career Development and Transition takes the position that if we are to begin reducing persistent differential outcomes for diverse youth, we must examine our current practices and apply anti-oppressive practices to transition planning to ensure we do not continue to perpetuate White cultural norms and ableist approaches to transition. We applied four equity frameworks to transition planning and provided recommendations for transition practice and service delivery.