Factors associated with the early work experiences of adolescents with severe disabilities.

Carter et al. (2011) looked at high-school youth with severe disabilities. They asked what helps these teens land a paid job before graduation.

The team used the 2011 Survey of Pathways data. They checked family hopes, school work-study slots, and other school factors. No treatment was tested; they simply mapped what goes with early work.

Two levers stood out. Families who expected the teen to work and schools that ran work-study programs were linked to paid jobs.

The paper only describes links, not causes. Still, it gives BCBAs clear places to push: raise family expectations and plug kids into school job programs.

Schall et al. (2024) asked stakeholders which paths work for adults with IDD. Supported employment, customized employment, internships, and college scored high. Their 2024 Delphi builds on the 2011 high-school clues and turns them into adult service menus.

Bickel et al. (1991) and Ghaziuddin et al. (1996) followed adults who left school. They showed that individual or enclave placements beat work crews or day programs for social ties and on-task time. Together the studies draw a line: start with family and school levers, then pick adult models that keep the person in regular workplaces.

Baldwin et al. (2014) sounds gloomy at first. Their survey found most adults with HFA/Asperger’s are under-employed even though they want to work. The gap looks like a contradiction, but it isn’t. W et al. studied teens with severe disabilities who had intense school supports; Susanna et al. looked at higher-functioning adults after those supports ended. The lesson: keep the same intensity after graduation.

You can act on two spots right now. Talk with families about paid work as a real next step. Then write work-study or internship goals into the transition plan. The follow-up research says the payoff lasts: adults in community jobs keep better engagement and more natural social contacts than those in segregated programs. Target family expectations and school work slots today and your students are more likely to land quality jobs tomorrow.