Strong family--school partnerships are crucial throughout K--12 education as they enable the development and implementation of meaningful educational programs for students with disabilities. This is especially true during transition planning. In many families, youth with disabilities have siblings that are a core part of the family unit, are…

As adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) transition to adulthood, there is a need to plan for effective community-based supports that address the post-school life. There is also a need to plan for the impact of factors (e.g., medical/behavioral support needs) on supports needed for community participation. Data from the "Supports…

The purpose of this article is to describe preliminary psychometric characteristics of a student self-report measure of self-determination, the "Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report" version (SDI-SR), designed for youth with and without disabilities. We administered the draft assessment to 311 youth and examined item functioning…

Given the growing importance of support needs assessment in the field of intellectual disability, it is imperative to develop assessments of support needs whose scores and inferences demonstrate reliability and validity. The purpose of this study was to examine the criterion validity of scores on the "Supports Intensity Scale-Children's…

This article reports the results of a follow-up analysis of 779 students with disabilities who participated in group-randomized, control group studies designed to examine the efficacy of self-determination interventions in secondary school to examine the relationship between self-determination status when exiting high school and adult outcomes 1…

Promoting student self-determination is recognized as a key component of effective transition supports and services for youth with disabilities. This study examined differences in teacher perceptions of student capacity and opportunity for self-determination over the course of an academic year based on teacher assignment to a treatment group that…

This study examined similarities and differences in measurement properties and score comparability of the "Supports Intensity Scale-Adult Version" (16-64 years) and the "Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version" (5-16 years). Data were collected from 142 adolescents with intellectual disability with both versions of the…

This study examined similarities and differences in measurement properties and score comparability of the "Supports Intensity Scale-Adult Version" (16-64 years) and the "Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version" (5-16 years). Data were collected from 142 adolescents with intellectual disability with both versions of the…

This study compared the reliability, validity, and measurement properties of the "Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version" (SIS-C) in children with autism and intellectual disability (n = 2,124) and children with intellectual disability only (n = 1,861). The results suggest that SIS-C is a valid and reliable tool in both populations.…

This paper introduces Causal Agency Theory, an extension of the functional model of self-determination. Causal Agency Theory addresses the need for interventions and assessments pertaining to selfdetermination for all students and incorporates the significant advances in understanding of disability and in the field of positive psychology since the…

This article introduces the Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version (SIS-C) designed and normed to be used with children across multiple contexts, including home, school, and community life. Steps taken to develop the scale are described, and findings from data collected on a field test version of the SIS-C are shared. Preliminary findings in…

The Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version (SIS-C) was developed to assess the support needs of children and youth aged 5 to 16 years with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Data from the standardization sample of the SIS-C were analyzed to evaluate the impact of the age cohorts (5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-16 years) used…

The Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version (SIS-C)was developed to assess the support needs of children and youth aged 5 to 16 years with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Data from the standardization sample of the SIS-C were analyzed to evaluate the impact of the age cohorts (5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-16 years) used to…

Promoting self-determination has been identified as best practice in special education and transition services and as a means to promote goal attainment and access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities. There have been, however, limited evaluations of the effects of interventions to promote self-determination on…

Students with intellectual disability are often served in community-based services to promote effective adult outcomes in employment, community inclusion, and independent living (Gaumer, Morningstar & Clark (2004). "Beyond High School" (Wehmeyer, Garner, Lawrence, Yeager, & Davis, 2006), a multi-stage model to promote student…