What Transition Programs and Services are Available? (continued)

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helps ensure that transition outcomes, service needs, and expectations for how they will be provided are communicated among and agreed to by key participants .... It also guards against duplication of services and, therefore, the more unfortunate occurrence of students who "fall through the cracks" and fail to access needed services. (DeStefano & Wermuth, 1992, p. 540)

For example, vocational rehabilitation personnel might be involved for those headed toward employment, as might college representatives for those headed toward college. Although it may not always be practical for college personnel to participate in IEP meetings, some have noted that if a student plans to attend a college nearby, it can be beneficial for the college learning disabilities specialist to become involved as early as possible in the transition process (Aune & Johnson, 1992). This gives the specialist an opportunity to inform the student and the family of the college's services and expectations while learning more about the student's interests.

Social Skills and Self-Advocacy Training

One of the most persistent problem areas for students with learning disabilities is that of social skills. Because social skills deficits can have profound effects on adults' functioning at work and in college, many authorities point to the need for social skills training as a part of transition programming. Unfortunately, social skills are not easily trained, and many adults with learning disabilities continue to face problems in interacting with friends and colleagues. One of the problems in training social skills for transition is that although identifying the social skills necessary to function in school is difficult, doing so may be even more difficult in the workplace. Among other things, there is a wider variety of work settings, rules of the workplace may be less well defined, and feedback for poor performance may be more subtle (Mellard & Hazel, 1992).

Social skills are also extremely important for successful transition to college. Students with or without disabilities who are able to interact with other students and faculty are in a better position to be successful in college. It may be even more necessary that students with learning disabilities display good social skills. For example, being able to act as their own advocates serves college students with learning disabilities well, and being able to talk with professors about their learning disabilities in order to receive accommodations requires a great deal of social poise and tact. Because learning disabilities are "invisible" and poorly understood by so many, an articulate spokesperson is often needed to explain their ramifications. Students who are either too aggressive or too timid may have great difficulty talking with professors about their learning disabilities. Shannon's mother has some concerns:

I want my daughter to attend college, but I'm worried. I've been so involved in her schooling. I make sure she gets her homework done ... I remind her about upcoming tests. Have I done too much? Will someone be there for her in college? Should she be able to do it on her own? What about her social skills? Will she be able to control her anger? How will she come across to her peers and professors?

-Kerrie Ireland, Shannon's mother

Many authorities have pointed out that secondary-school students need to take the initiative in developing their transition programming. Being actively involved in their own transition planning does not come easily for some students. Some authorities (e.g., Scanlon & Mellard, 2002) think it is important that self-advocacy be a part of transition training in high school, and there is some evidence that self-advocacy can be taught (Durlak, Rose, & Bursuck, 1994; Lock & Layton, 2001). According to Skinner (1998), "Students become self-advocates when they (a) demonstrate understanding of their disability, (b) are aware of their legal rights, and (c) demonstrate competence in communicating rights and needs to those in positions of authority" (p. 279). One team of researchers taught students with learning disabilities to state the nature of their disability and its impact on academic and social functioning and to identify accommodations and strategies for implementing them with their general education teachers (Durlak et al., 1994). Another team of researchers successfully implemented a self-awareness and self-advocacy program for persons with learning disabilities who had graduated from high school and were enrolled in college in a nondegree program focused on achieving independence (Roffman, Herzog, & Wershba-Gershon, 1994).