Students with mild intellectual disabilities need to transition out of school with the life skills necessary for independence and employment. However, the curriculum for this population has shifted away from being vocation-based and has become more focused on adademics and testing. The purpose of this project is to gain an understanding of best practice for the transition planning process by examining post-school outcomes for employment as well as educational models and characteristics of those who are successfully employed. Creating educational programs that are truly individual for each student, with both academics and life skills, is vital. Occupational therapy is a related service in the school system and has the potential to be an integral player in preparing these students with the life skills they need for after graduation, yet many school-based therapists feel unprepared for this task. The information gathered in this process will be comiled into a manuscript that will serve to educate both occupational therapists as well as school staff on predictors and characteristics that lead to greater post-school outcomes for this population.
