This study sought to understand the parental expectations of social attainments in the postschool years. The parents of 20 adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) attending special schools were interviewed. Most expected their children would be working in sheltered workshops or unemployed. All parents indicated that their children would…

Improving quality of life is the primary focus as adolescents with disabilities enter adulthood. They increasingly, however, encounter difficulties transitioning into domains such as employment as these services occur near the end of their high school experience. Using an ecosystems model within a developmental approach, the program sought to…

A workhome was developed in which 20 adolescents with chronic autism live, work, and enjoy leisure activities in an interlinked environment. Residents have a sheltered but meaningful life without having to strive for "normality." This brief research report describes the workhome's residents, program of structured activities, staffing, and…

This paper refutes criticism about industrial workshops for individuals with blindness and argues that they are a suitable vocational option that is often underutilized. The paper explores the role of the sheltered workshop as a continuum for multihandicapped blind persons, employment experience for teenagers, opportunity for older individuals,…

Responses in the parent interviews revealed that many trainees were still home based and family dependent. Some parents were prolonging the dependence of their young people rather than reinforcing the independent living skills training at the center. (Author)

Twenty-seven teachers rated 196 retarded workers with respect to the frequency of maladaptive behavior and the 28 items of a language behavior rating scale with respect to the probability that a given behavior would result in termination of employment. (Author/SBH)