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Transition as a Vehicle: Moving From High School to an Adult Vocational Service Provider
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Article Summary
Nuehring & Sitlington (2003) examined the transition of adolescents with autism from high school to adult vocational service providers. Nuehring & Sitlington conducted the research study on transition to better understand the complexity of the process. They "Wanted to see how the transition process in place was working and whether it was doing all that it could for adolescents with autism." They decided to study transition from the viewpoint of a senior in high school. They studied three students that had been educated in a classroom for students with autism, through which they received job training at community-based work sites before they graduated. The students picked different adult vocational service providers to attend after graduation. In Nuehring & Sitlington's analysis, they looked for emerging themes and trends within the research. They examined many sources and made comparisons from their analysis to the professional literature on transition. The study gives the reader the opportunity to see an in-depth view of three different adult vocational service providers and the stories of three consumers. Although, each student had the same education, his or her transition experiences were all quite different.
Nuehring & Sitlington (2003) found that the process from high school to the adult vocational service providers has many positive aspects; there is still room for improvement. Nuehring and Sitlington chose four areas in which improvement would make the transition process stronger. 1) More education for high school teachers (regarding the transition process) and for the staff of the adult vocational service providers (regarding characteristics of individual disability areas); 2) inclusion of assessment in the transition process; 3) increased communication among the individual, his or her family, the school, and the adult provider; and 4) aligned programming between the school and the adult provider.
Nuehring & Sitlington (2003) "detailed the steps that the transition team took to help make a good match for this student to ensure his continued happiness and satisfaction in his life as a young adult." Nuehring & Sitlington conclude, "Transition, if not under repair, is the vehicle that transports individuals from one stage of their lives to the other."
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