Self-determination, the combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enable a person to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior, has become an important part of special education and related services for people with disabilities. Research on the outcomes of self-determination interventions has been sparse. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive review of literature and used quantitative methods of meta-analysis to investigate what self-determination interventions have been studied, what groups of individuals with disabilities have been taught self-determination, and what levels of outcomes have been achieved using self-determination interventions. Fifty-one studies were identified that intervened to promote one or more components of self-determination; 22 were included in meta-analyses. The median effect size across 100 group intervention comparisons (contained in 9 studies) was 1.38. In contrast, 13 single subject studies included 18 interventions and produced a median per...

Effects of Interventions to Promote Self-Determination for Individuals With Disabilities:

A literature review was conducted to identify evidence-based practices in secondary transition using quality indicator checklists for experimental research. Practices were categorized by the Taxonomy for Transition Programming. Overall, 32 secondary transition evidence-based practices were identified. Two practices had a strong level of evidence, 28 had a moderate level of evidence, and 2 had a potential level of evidence. The majority of practices represented instruction of skills within the category of Student Development. No evidence-based practices were identified in the category of Interagency Collaboration. Findings provide practitioners with a set of evidence-based practices for improving transition services and researchers with an agenda for conducting future research.

Evidence-Based Practices in Secondary Transition:

Background This critical review considers the nature and importance of person-centred planning in the context of current British policy and service development in intellectual disability The difference between person-centred planning and other kinds of individual planning is discussed

Materials and method  The scale of the task of implementing person-centred planning as a national policy initiative is considered The limited evidence base for person-centred planning is reviewed and the reasons for the failure of previous attempts at individual planning are analysed The assumption that person-centred services will be produced by a new kind of individual planning is questioned

Conclusions  Consideration is given to what would be necessary to make services more person-centred, including changes in power relations, funding arrangements and staff training and supervision

Person‐Centred Planning or Person‐Centred Action? Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disability Services

We conducted a review of the literature to investigate interventions designed to increase students' involvement in their individualized education program (IEP) process. Sixteen studies were identified and analyzed in terms of six variables: purpose, participants/setting, design, dependent variables, independent variable, and results. Our findings suggest that students with widely varying disabilities can be actively involved in the IEP process. Our results also indicate that both published curricula designed to teach students skills to enhance their participation prior to IEP meetings and person-centered planning strategies are effective in increasing students' involvement in their IEP meetings, as substantiated through direct observation; scores on measures of self-determination; and/or feedback from participants, parents, and teachers. We discuss the results in terms of implications for practice and research, the need for future studies to assess the impact of student participation on students' daily li...

Student Involvement in Individualized Education Program Meetings

The relationship between transition planning/coordinating interventions and transition outcomes for secondary-aged youth with disabilities was explored in this systematic review. A total of 31 stud...

Transition planning/coordinating interventions for youth with disabilities: a systematic review

Sixteen moderately and mildly retarded adults were selected from a group residential facility and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a 12-session interpersonal skills training program consisting of instruction in the following areas: (1) Introduction and Small Talk, (2) Asking for Help, (3) Differing with Others, and (4) Handling Criticism. The social skills instructional package included verbal instruction, modeling, role playing, feedback, contingent incentives, and homework. As a result of this training program, moderately and mildly retarded adults acquired new social skills as evidenced by performance on a situation role play assessment. These gains generalized to untrained role play situations but did not result in significant group differences when assessed in a more natural setting (i.e., local grocery store).

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The effectiveness of interpersonal skills training on the social skill acquisition of moderately and mildly retarded adults

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of person centered planning activities on several variables associated with the student's transition planning and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting. Person centered planning activities consisted primarily of (a) development of a personal profile, (b) creation of a vision of a desirable future lifestyle, (c) clarification of action steps / responsible parties to achieve this future vision, and (d) identification of necessary changes in the current service system. Person centered planning had a significant effect on parent participation in transition planning I IEP meetings, but not on discussion of post-school issues during these meetings. Although other meeting character istics were similar across groups, parents in the treatment group reported perceptions of increased prepared ness, participation, student participation, and preparedness to discuss action steps. Treatment groupfamilies reported high levels of satisfaction for the person centered planning process. The addition of transition planning as part of person's attainment of a more desirable and the Individuals with Disabilities Education personalized future lifestyle. A social network Act was one of the most significant changes of individuals who care about the person with included in the 1990 Amendments (P.L. a disability may provide the necessary support 101-476). Within the federal definition of for the attainment of transition related goals transition services, it is specifically stipulated and objectives. that the student's "preferences and interests" Transition planning has become a formal must be considered in determining needed requirement within the IEP process involving services. Person centered planning aphigh school students receiving special educa proaches appear to be promising practices for tion services. Federal and state legislation identifying student preferences and interests have established the "letter of the law" re related to transition planning. Included quiring transition planning. However, these among these approaches are life-style planlegislative initiatives have not clarified the ning (Wilcox & Bellamy, 1987), personal means by which these mandates will be ad futures planning" (Mount & Zwernick, dressed at the local level. The focus of transi 1988), "outcome-based planning" (Steere, tion planning must be centered on the goals Wood, Pancsofar, & Butterworth, 1990), and and objectives that students and thdr famiHes "essential hfestyle planning" (Smull & Burke want for themseIves (Wehman, 1992). While Harrison, 1992). One of the common aspects some famiHes are comfortab,e in assuming a of all person centered approaches is the deu• u , . , . . , K r << • . r „ profile role in transition planning/IEP velopment of circles of support (Perske, • n i • \ m i , . _ rr \ meetings, others may find this difficult. 1988). The support circle is described as a Tr . . ... r c • , , i It transition planning is to function as more group of caring people who come together to . . . , ® , » , t • than an addendum or footnote to the annual support someone s endeavors to clarify a vi_ ... c r * /-»• i r ; , IEP process, strategies for facilitating mean sion of the future. Circles of support have _r. ... 0 been viewed as being critical components in a consumer mput in the process must be developed. Person centered planning ap proaches appear uniquely suited to the goals ^ of transition planning. In this study, a person Correspondence concerning this article should r ° 1 r be addressed to Craig Miner, Southern Illinois Unicentered planning approach was imple versity, Department of Educational Psychology mented for one group of adolescents with and Special Education, Mailcode 4618, Carbonmental retardation as part of a preliminary dale, IL 62901-4618. activity to the IEP/transition meeting. Subse Person Centered Planning / 105 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.123 on Tue, 18 Oct 2016 05:53:21 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms quent IEP/transition planning meetings group consisted of five males and six females. were observed for students whose families Table 1 provides a summary of the character participated in person centered planning acistics on which the 11 pairs of students were tivities and a comparable group of students matched. whose families did not participate in these preliminary planning activities. Specific reFacilitator search questions were addressed regarding group differences in parental participation The primary investigator in this study also as and discussion of post-school issues. In addisumed the roles of facilitator in the person tion, satisfaction measures were collected at centered planning activities and trainer of ob the completion of each transition planning/ servers. This individual was a male doctoral IEP meeting and a one month follow-up quesstudent in special education with 15 years ex tionnaire was mailed to each family. perience in the field of disability. In prepara tion for his facilitator role, he participated in Methods OVer ^ hours of training on the implementa tion of person centered planning approaches. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of person centered planning activities Observers on several variables related to a student's IEP/transition planning meeting. Students The primary observer was employed as a de with mental retardation were recruited and velopmental training specialist and enrolled assigned to either a preliminary planning conpart-time in an undergraduate special educa dition or a control condition. The IEP/trantion program. She had nine years experience sition planning meetings of all participants working in school and adult programs for in were observed by trained observers to assess dividuals with severe disabilities. She received both process and outcome variables. Post16 hours of training in the data collection meeting satisfaction surveys were completed process in preparation for this study. The see by all participants. Parents in the treatment ondary observer was a doctoral student in condition also completed a satisfaction quesspecial education. He had 10 years of experi tionnaire regarding the person centered ence in the disability field. This observer also planning activities. Finally, a follow-up quesreceived 16 hours of training in the data col tionnaire was completed by all families to aslection process, sess their attitudes and behaviors in relation to previous years. Person Centered Planning Procedures . . The person centered planning activities were rnrtinfanYits 1 ° " conducted at a site of each family's choosing. Twenty-two students and their families parAll families except one chose to meet in their ticipated in this study. All students were enhome. One mother chose to have the prelim rolled in special education services for indiinary planning meeting at the high school, viduals with mental retardation at a public The procedures were adapted largely from high school. After the researcher met with all the Personal Futures Planning model (Mount students and reviewed their records, the 22 & Zwernick, 1988). students and families were divided into 11 Each person centered planning session be pairs that were matched as closely as possible gan with a series of activities designed to de on the variables of program placement (EMH velop a personal profile of the individual stu or TMH), documented IQ, anticipated year dent and family. The first of these activities of school exit, and communication skills. One involved the development of a circle of sup member of each pair was randomly assigned port. As part of this activity, the facilitator to the treatment group (person centered asked the student and family to name the peo planning activities) or control group condipie in the student's life. A diagram with four tion. The treatment group consisted of seven concentric circles was used to record the males and four females, while the control names of individuals who have been support 106 / Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities-June 1997 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.123 on Tue, 18 Oct 2016 05:53:21 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

The Effect of Person Centered Planning Activities on the IEP/Transition Planning Process.

Simulated and community-based instruction involving persons with mild and moderate mental retardation.

The effectiveness of three sets of school-based instructional materials and community training on the acquisition and generalization of community laundry skills by students with severe handicaps.

This study demonstrated the viability of using a changing criterion procedure for increasing the work production rates of three severely/profoundly retarded workers. In all three studies, the workers' production rates increased from unacceptable levels to performance levels well above minimum rates for sheltered employment. Additional aspects of interest in these studies included the utilization of a self-ad ministered reinforcement system, improvements in task attention, and enhanced work production quality. The three experiments presented in this article provide a demonstration of program control through multiple replications of a changing criterion design. Task analysis and systematic instruction have been used successfully in demonstrating that severely/moderately handicapped adolescents and adults can acquire the skills necessary to perform complex manual tasks (e.g., Crosson, 1972; Levy, Pomerantz, & Gold, 1976). How ever, in order to maintain employment within community vocational settings, a worker must produce at an adequate rate. Therefore, once task performance has been mastered, production rate becomes a focal point. Slow or inconsistent work rates are com mon characteristics of severely and pro foundly handicapped workers in vocational training programs. Several investigators have demonstrated that manipulating reinforcing consequences has significantly increased work production rates of handicapped work ers. Token reinforcement systems (Screven, Straka, & Lafond, 1971; Zimmerman, Stuc key, Garlick, & Miller, 1969), social praise, tangible reinforcers, and monetary rewards adminstered frequently and consistently have resulted in increased production rates of severely handicapped workers (e.g., Bellamy, Peterson, & Close, 1975; Brown, Johnson, Gadberry, & Fenrick, 1971). However, with few exceptions, this body of research has not empirically evaluated such methods with pro foundly retarded populations. Recently several investigators have sug gested the use of a changing criterion design for demonstrating experimental control with behaviors that can be modified in a stepwise manner (Hartman & Hall, 1976). The use of a changi g criterion enables gradual incre mental hanges in problem behaviors. Ac celeration problems for which stepwise in creases, in frequency or rate, are program goals would easily lend themselves to evalu ation with a changing criterion design. Frequently, work production rates of severely/profoundly retarded workers are very slow because of well established patterns of excessive competing behaviors and/or lethargic motor movements. Therefore, the changing criterion design seems particularly suited for modification of work production rate. By gradually increasing the require ments on production, stepwise increases in work rate should result, enabling a slow in cremental shaping of on-task work behaviors. The present three experimental studies Improving Work Performance / 95 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.11 on Tue, 18 Oct 2016 05:26:38 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms demonstrate the usefulness of a changing criterion design for increasing the work production rates of severely/profoundly re tarded workers. Furthermore, the effects of increases in work rate on "off-task" com peting behaviors and accuracy of task per formance are examined.

Paul Bates

Papers

The effectiveness of interpersonal skills training on the social skill acquisition of moderately and mildly retarded adults

The Effect of Person Centered Planning Activities on the IEP/Transition Planning Process.

Simulated and community-based instruction involving persons with mild and moderate mental retardation.

The effectiveness of three sets of school-based instructional materials and community training on the acquisition and generalization of community laundry skills by students with severe handicaps.

Improving the Work Performance of Severely/Profoundly Retarded Young Adults: The Use of a Changing Criterion Procedural Design.