Longitudinal data on the functioning of adults referred for possible autism as children are sparse and possibly different from datasets consisting of adult clinical referrals. A total of 123 young adults, mean age of 26, referred for neurodevelopmental disorders in early childhood were categorized into three outcome groups: autism spectrum…

Background: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) states that people have the right to decide where to live and with whom. Professionals play a key role in supporting processes for independent living (IL). This research aimed to identify which ideas generated more or less consensus among professionals regarding the role…

Stephanie Enyart reflects on few key aspects of what the blind and low vision community has gained because of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although it is true that blind people received individual accommodations before the legal requirements arose, the ADA created a duty to accommodate in many new instances and on a broader range of…

Transition services have been proven to be an essential tool in preparing students with disabilities to be ready for adulthood and become esteemed members of society. In western countries, transition services mainly consider a student's needs, are designed within an outcome-oriented process, include a coordinated set of activities, and promote…

Background: Transition to adulthood is an important time for young people and may be a particularly challenging time for people with intellectual disabilities. However, there has been little research in the UK regarding the experiences of parents who have son or daughter with an intellectual disability transitioning to adulthood. Method: The study…

Post-secondary education and students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) have not historically been viewed as compatible. In recent years, a growing number of colleges have offered opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to take part in inclusive post-secondary education. This qualitative study was conducted…

Rapid development of digital technologies affects the lives of all people and often leads to people being in unequal positions regarding digital skills training opportunities. Older adults' motivations for learning digital skills vary, but they are generally connected with expectations of upcoming benefits. This study investigates the…

While research exists on parent expectations associated with post-school outcomes of youth with intellectual disability, limited research examines issues of parent--and youth--post-school expectations relative to issues of community, such as living in rural versus urban or suburban settings. Through a secondary analysis of the National…

AutismSpeaks.org estimated that a total of 1.1 million teens with autism will enter adulthood in the next decade (Autism Speaks, n.d.). Unfortunately, research shows many of those individuals will have bleak outcomes in life postsecondary (Lake et al., 2014; Posar & Visconti, 2018). This issue will compound without proper resources and…

The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) snapshots offer a glimpse of National and State trends for young people who are receiving Independent Living Services through state child welfare programs. This Services Data Snapshot includes the characteristics of youth served, services received by age and race/ethnicity, and percentage of…

Background: Speech and language disorders in childhood have the potential to affect every aspect of a child's day-to-day life and can potentially have negative long-term impacts. Aim: This scoping review seeks to collate the existing evidence to identify the long-term effects of childhood speech and language disorders. Methods: A systematic search…

Background: This study investigated perceived quality of life (QoL) of community-dwelling middle-aged adults (30-50 years) with an intellectual disability and/or developmental disability living in rural or urban areas in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. The specific aim of the current paper was to provide a descriptive evidence base of…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience barriers to competitive integrated employment during their transition to adulthood. To better understand potential reasons for these barriers, we interviewed 10 young adults with ASD, ages 18-26, and their parents or guardians. We audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed…

This paper presents "Home game," a multimodal interactive educational game that supports training in independent living for children with cognitive disabilities. It is intended to be used under the supervision of educators in a rehabilitation center. The game features a variety of exercises that incorporate multimedia, virtual…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience learning challenges that impact their ability to navigate the social and vocational world of adults without disabilities. Lack of independent functioning correlates with poor postschool outcomes for many individuals with ASD. In order to improve social and vocational outcomes,…