Important benefits of Transition: The process of transition planning is to ensure students with disabilities can access high quality of life after graduation. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA 2004) requires that all public schools must legally provide the transition planning to all high school students who receive education in the special education program under the qualifications of IDEA, beginning as early as age 14 through age 21 (White & Weiner, 2004). During transition, students might encounter positive or negative experiences for learning and accepting a new life style, routine, environment, activities, people, or social interactions. The benefits of transition planning helps students to access their unique needs and goals for future outcomes. The transition planning is a useful program to develop strong collaboration between the educational system, families, and local businesses in the community (Wehman, 2011).

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, and it is a category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Teitelbaum, O & Teitelbaum, P, 2008). Recently, ASD has become one of the fastest rising developmental disability categories, it appears five times more often than Down Syndrome, and is increasing more common than any other genetic disorder (Marole, 2002). Furthermore, children with autism are diagnosed in males four times more often than females. ASD is found around the world in families of all socioeconomic and racial classes (Galinat, Barcalow & Krivda, 2005). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in December 2009, reported the prevalence of the population with autism ratio as 1 in every 110 births and high proximity to 1 in 70 boys are diagnosed with autism (Autism Society of America & Autism Speak, 2011). ASD has shown a population of nearly 1.5 million people diagnosed with autism in the United States of America (Cimera and Cowan, 2009). The number of students with autism is continuing to increase 10- 17 percent in an educational setting.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

The Challenges of Transition for Adolescences with Autism:

Adolescence can be a time of confusion and comes with much frustration, especially for a student with low-functioning autism. These students have difficulty expressing their needs with verbal communication, and adjust their unique behavioral characteristics to new environments. These students also have difficulty successfully accomplishing positive changes in emotional behavior, self-determination, self-advocacy, academic functioning, socialization, communication and independent living skills (Adreon & Durocher, 2007).

Open Talks: Opportunities for People with Autism in Inclusive Employment

Supattra W. Andrade M.A. & Lewis Jackson Ed.D. School of Special Education, University of Northern Colorado

Project SEARCH

What is it? : Project SEARCH is high school transition program which establishes collaboration between educational services and local business to train young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through an innovative workforce and career development model with long-term learning outcomes. The goal is to secure competitive employment outcomes for each young student with disabilities after his/her high school graduation .

Who is served ?: Project SEARCH serves students with significant disabilities, developmental delay or intellectual disabilities who are on an Individual Education Program (IEP), and students who are in the last year of a high school program. Project SEARCH is a powerful program for helping students with autism who have significant support needs, in order to prepare and develop their skills in the areas of communication, emotion, behavior, and social interaction. These students need to develop those skills for work with other employees within real environments of communities. These students are also eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation and the local/state Developmental Disability agency. These two agencies are critical for initial training and retention services during the program and once the Project SEARCH graduate is employed.

How is it served? : Employment Skills Curriculum: students with significant disabilities work on employment skills and functional skills for a minimum of one hour of the school day. Classroom activities focus on developing main areas which include: self-determination, self- advocacy, communication, career exploration, coaching job search, resume and interviewing skills. In addition, functional academics are related to their internships by learning money management and living independently. Internships/Worksite Rotations: The goals are to support the students that acquire competitive, marketable ,and transferable skills to be applied in the workplace. Students have the opportunity to build communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills. These are unpaid internships programs. During the first week of the program, students are required to interact with their supervisors via telephone and written communications to arrange a job interview to secure each internship. A department mentor is identified at each site and interacts with the instructor and job coaches for providing guidance and feedback. Students spend approximately five hours each day at the internships including a thirty minute lunch. Students are required to assert responsibility to complete a working task list. The Project SEARCH staff delivers the training ,as well as develop job accommodations and standard work tasks.

Is it beneficial? : Yes. The benefits of project SEARCH will be a good model of successful transition programs to encourage the collaboration and responsibilities between communities and schools to work together. Real experiences training helps students with significant disabilities to explore career development, adaptations, long-term job coaching, and continuous feedback from special educators, job coaches, and their own employers. Project SEARCH establishes the best contribution to students with disabilities to develop employment skills, independent living, and increase higher quality of future lives. It also can bring about long-term changes in business culture that have far-reaching positive effects on attitudes about beliefs in hiring people with disabilities.

A model of Project SEARCH Applied to Transition Services in

Thailand

Collaboration between the Educational Programs

and the Vocational Services within local

business and the social community

Transition planning and employment curriculum for

individual student’s productive future needs

including: Assessments, Job’s interests,

strengths potential, employment skills, and

functional skills.

Employment status:*Help students to seek the job that matches their skills and strengths potential with the job market available in the communities.* Collaborate with local businesses.* Develop follow-up plans with students’ needs and accomplishment.

Internship opportunity:Real work experiences in

inclusive employment, social interactions, social relationships,

problems solving skills, communication, self-

determination, self-esteem, self-advocacy, self-efficacy and self-

sufficiency.

References:Autism Society of America (October, 2011). About autism. Retrieved from http://www.autism-society.org/about-autism/Autism Speaks (October, 2011). How common is Autism? Retrieved from http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autismCater, E., Trainor, A., Ditchman, N., Swedeen, B., Sun, Y., & Owens, L. (2010). Summer employment and community experiences of transition-age youth with severe disabilities. Exceptional Children, 76(2), 194-212. Cimera, R. E., & Cowan, R. J. (2009). The costs of services and employment outcomes achieved by adults with autism in the US. SAGE Publications and the National Autistic Society, 13(3), 285-302. Condon, E., & Callahan, M. (2008). Individualized career planning for students with significant support needs utilizing the discovery and vocational profile process, cross-agency collaborative funding and social security work incentives. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 28, 85-96. Galinat, K., Barcalow, K., & Krivda, B. (2005). Caring for children with autism in the school setting. The journal of School Nursing, 21(4), 208-217.Marohn, S. (2002). The natural medicine guide to autism. Virginia: Hampton Roads. Project SEARCH . Program overview of transition planning and employment training . Retrieved from http://www.projectsearch.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=57 Teitelbaum, O., & Teitelbaum, P. (2008). Does your baby have autism? New York: Square One Publishers. White, J., & Weiner, J. (2004). Influence of least restrictive environment and community based training on integrated employment outcome for transitioning students with severe disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 21, 149-159.Wehman, P. (2011). Essentials of transition planning. Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks. Wehman, P., Smith, M., & Schall, C. (2009). Autism & the transition to adulthood success beyond the classroom. Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks.