Individualized Education Program Quality for Transition Age Students with Autism.

Area of Science:

• Special Education
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
• Transition Services

Background:

• Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience poor postsecondary outcomes, suggesting ineffective transition planning.
• The transition Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a key support, yet its content for ASD students is under-researched.
• This study examines the quality of transition IEPs for high school seniors with autism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the contents and quality of transition Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• To evaluate IEP and postsecondary goal alignment with federal law and best practices for students in their final year of high school.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 20 transition IEPs from students with autism (mean age 18.2 years) in two mid-southern states.
• Descriptive analyses assessed IEP strengths and weaknesses against federal requirements and best practices.

Main Results:

• IEPs averaged 3.1 IEP goals and 1.6 postsecondary goals, primarily focused on academics, work, and communication.
• All IEPs included an employment goal, but less than half had an independent living goal.
• A significant lack of social skills goals and alignment between performance levels, IEP goals, and postsecondary goals was observed.

Conclusions:

• Transition IEPs for high school seniors with ASD frequently do not meet federal legal standards or best practice recommendations.
• Current IEP practices may not adequately prepare students with ASD for successful postsecondary transitions.
• Improvements in IEP goal development, particularly for social skills and alignment, are crucial for better student outcomes.