Affordable and complete, this book provides evidence-based strategies to promote self-determination, and is the first volume to combine both theory and practice in this area. Because self-determination is a key issue for students with moderate and severe disabilities, this is an ideal resource for middle and secondary special educators, school psychologists, and other school practitioners.
"There is not available a more comprehensive book in the area of self-determination." —Melinda Pierson, Department of Special Education California State University, Fullerton "Unique because it provides direction for teaching and supporting self-determined behavior across all age groups and also within the general education classroom and curricula." —Marianne Mooney, Senior Research Associate TransCen, Inc., Post-Secondary Learning and Careers Give students with disabilities powerful tools for success in school and in life! Michael Wehmeyer and Sharon Field present research-proven instructional strategies that empower special needs students at all grade levels to make their own decisions. Self-Determination offers detailed and current practitioner-oriented approaches in combination with extensive teacher reproducibles—all within the context of inclusion, standards-based reform, and access to the general curriculum. Linked to the IDEA requirement for individualized transition plans, this user-friendly resource assists practitioners in teaching the skills necessary for making decisions about employment, job skills, further schooling, and independent living. Educators will discover how to: Encourage students to become their own advocates by practicing assertive behavior Use needs-assessment techniques to determine the level of instruction required for each student Teach effective choice making, problem solving, and goal setting Support both families and fellow educators in their efforts to teach self-determination skills Special education teachers, general educators, and administrators will find this handbook an invaluable guide for helping students establish their own goals and plan for a strong and healthy future!
This book examines choice and preference in the lives of people with disability, focusing on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It provides an overview of choice and examines foundational concepts related to choice and preference, including self-determination and supported decision making. Chapters examine a range of critical service and policy issues, such as guardianship, individualized funding, the health care system, and the situation regarding choices for people with disability in international contexts. In addition, chapters explore issues ranging from the development of preference and choice in childhood to choices in older age and end of life matters. It provides in-depth analysis of particular choices faced at different points across the lifespan. The book concludes with implications for policy and practice. Topics featured in this book include: Supported decision making for adults with intellectual disabilities or acquired brain injury. The role of parents and families in the development of choice-making skills. Preference assessments for individuals who cannot tell us what they prefer. Employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. Sexual and reproductive rights for people with intellectual disabilities. Disability and the choice to become a parent. Choice, Preference, and Disability is an essential resource for researchers, professors, clinicians, therapists, and other professionals as well as graduate students in the fields of developmental and positive psychology, rehabilitation, social work, special education, occupational, speech and language therapy, public health, and healthcare policy.
Targeted at special education teachers/special population instructors, work experience coordinators, vocational assessment personnel, and guidance counselors, this guide examines the relationships among career development, transition, and self-determination for students with disabilities. The guide uses a question-and-answer format to identify and respond to key topics that practitioners need to address to promote student self-determination in their service settings, and provides detailed reviews of over 30 curriculum materials and assessment tools in the area of self-determination. Specific chapters address: (1) the importance of self-determination and school and family-based interventions to support the development of self-determination; (2) student involvement in the Individualized Education Program and transition process and specific strategies to prepare students for participation and to increase student participation; (3) assessment of self-determination; (4) instructional practices that promote self-determination and family and school administrator roles in promoting self-determination in students; (5) self-determination instructional materials review; and (6) key issues and future directions in self-determination. Curriculum and assessment resources available to educators and service providers are described throughout the guide along with appropriate contact information. In addition, an appendix includes an annotated bibliography of recent articles and books written on the topic of self-determination. (Each chapter contains references.) (CR)
This teacher-friendly resource offers a variety of instructional strategies for teaching students the specific skills they need for more satisfactory, self-directed lives--skills like: - assertiveness - goal setting - self-advocacy - self-management - decision making - problem solving - self-awareness Practicing and prospective educators will find objectives and key terms at the beginning of each chapter and vignettes and case studies sprinkled throughout, making the book an ideal text. This is an invaluable resource for meeting IDEA 1997 requirements while motivating high school students with disabilities to prepare for successful transitions to adulthood.
Children are born learning machines who want to learn and can organize and manage their own learning. Unfortunately, today children have little choice over what they do in school and how and when they do it. Children prepared in this "other-determined" manner will be poorly equipped to navigate an adult world requiring that they act autonomously and self-direct learning to acquire skills in rapidly changing environments. In Teaching Students to Become Self-Determined Learners, Michael Wehmeyer and Yong Zhao explore the how and why of self-determined learning—which emphasizes autonomy and choice, turning over ownership for learning to students by supporting them in engaging in activities that are of personal value to them, thus enabling them to act volitionally. You'll learn * How to promote self-determined learning in your classroom or school * The importance of autonomy supports, competence supports, and relatedness supports * Conditions that enable self-determined learning * Teaching strategies for self-determined learning * Assessment strategies in self-determined learning * The role of technology in self-determined living The practical strategies, case studies, advice, and resources here will help you help your students to motivate themselves and become self-determined learners
This text provides a comprehensive overview of three theoretical perspectives proposed during the past decade addressing the self-determination construct as it applies to the field of special education. The three models were selected primarily because they have focused on defining and categorizing self-determination for all students with disabilities, including students with mental retardation and other cognitive disabilities. These models are intended to provide students and practitioners a solid grounding in self-determination theory. All models have been evaluated among students with cognitive disabilities but are applicable to all students with or without disabilities. The authors research each model and have applied their own theoretical framework to special education, ensuring that interventions to promote skills like problem solving, goal setting, decision making, and self-advocacy are in place for all students. By reading this text, the reader will gain a solid, theoretically based foundation in understanding the self-determination construct which ultimately supports the development of instructional interventions that enable students with disabilities to become self-determined. It will be useful as a text in upper undergraduate and graduate courses in special education, psychology, social work/welfare, general education, vocational rehabilitation and disability studies.
Similar to a handbook in its comprehensive description of the theory and research supporting current practices in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders, this interdisciplinary text shows how the existing knowledge base can be used to explore promising new possibilities related to the field's many unanswered questions.
There are currently 15 Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (ICEI) Programs throughout Massachusetts. Each program is different in its day-to-day planning but all adhere to the mission, full inclusion of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The purpose of this evaluative research study was to examine and understand the functional components of postsecondary education programs that promote self-determination for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to differentiate programs that include or do not include these components. To answer the five research questions data were collected from Students, Educational Coaches, ICEI Program Coordinators, Transition Liaisons, Statewide Coordinator, observations, and record reviews. To answer all the questions, it required integrating what we have learned about the program participants with what we are observing in the program. All of this information provided evidence to understand participant perceptions of the observed programs. All of the information collected was interpreted through qualitative and quantitative approaches consistent with the CIPP model. In addition to examining the quality and potential efficacy of program components, I also examined the consistency across programs. For instance, it was important to know if certain components were viewed as effective components across programs, while other components were viewed as being less effective across programs. These consistencies helped me to understand how the statewide support of specific programs may be adequately or inadequately supporting implementation of those components. Recommendations for program improvement activities to promote self-determinations skills, knowledge, and beliefs of students and educators are provided based on all of the data collected throughout the evaluation.
