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SOCIALLY VALID TRANSITION PRACTICES

PURPOSE:

• This series of studies investigated socially valid transition practices and strategies. One focus was on the identification of transition barriers and strategies for children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The overarching goal was to determine the similarities and differences between socially validated practices and empirically validated practices in the area of transition.

APPROACH:

• Conduct a series of National Focus Group Sessions to obtain information on key barriers and strategies that are affective in support transition.
• Use the Critical Incident Technique (CIT; Flannagan, 1964) to gather family and professioinal stories about the transition process.
• Conduct a series of regional working forums to identify barriers and assess transition strategies and practices for the specified populations.
• Conduct a national survey of 10,000 preschool teachers to examine their transition practices.
• Conduct a Social Validation Assessment with administrators, faculty members, practitioners and 250 family members of young children with and without disabilities using transition strategies identified through the other research studies.
• Conduct an analysis of the Alignment of Empirically and Socially Validated Practices, specifically focused on the identification of similarities and differences between socially and empirically validated practices.

ACTIVITIES COMPLETED:

• Fourteen national focus groups were held.
• Regional working forums were conducted and completed in 4 states with practitioners, family members and administrators.
• Transition stories were obtained using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT).
• A national survey for public preschool teachers was conducted.  A Transition Practices Validation Survey was completed.

PRODUCTS:

• Technical Report 2 :
  Transition Issues and Barriers for Children with Significant Disabilities and from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds
• Technical Report 3 :
  Recommended Transition Practices for Young Children and Families
• 2 Transition Alerts announcing each of the Technical Reports
• NECTC Recommended Practices and Strategies have been presented 18 times nationally and locally.

WORK GROUP MEMBERS:

• Beth Rous, Ed.D.
• Megan Cox, Ph.D.
• Andy Gomm, M.S.W.
• Caroline Gooden, M.S.
• Ann Hains, Ph.D.
• Jim Lesko, Ed.D.
• Andrea Nielsen
• Sharon Rosenkoetter, Ph.D.
• Carol Schroeder, M.S.
• Christine Teeters-Meyers, Ph.D.