Using Portfolios To Assist In The Transitional Process and In Gaining Employment

Carothers and Taylor (2003) recognized that portfolios better illustrate the capabilities of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) than IQ tests, which do not accurately measure the intelligence of these individuals. Kohler (1994) and Landmark, Ju, and Zhanga (2010) identified the Best Practices in Transition, which include assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals. The presenter will discuss how to construct a portfolio using these best practices and will explain how the portfolio enables success in the transitional process. Carothers and Taylor (2003) demonstrated how portfolios for individuals with ASD can best capture their abilities.  They also discussed how standard IQ assessments do not accurately measure the individual’s strengths and weaknesses. By using portfolios, educators, families, and other agencies can accurately determine the individual’s capabilities and better assist the individual in the area of transition.

Kohler (1994) identified ten Best Practices in Transition. One of the Best Practices includes assessing strengths and weakness not only to determine the ability levels but also to develop educational curriculum. The Best Practices resulted from employment rates and quality of life outcomes after students exited high school.  The significance of Kohler’s study is that employment and quality of life for people with disabilities is diminished if the Best Practices are not incorporated into their educational curricula.

A problem that adolescents and adults diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face is high unemployment. Individuals with disabilities are less likely to gain employment than their typical peers are (Blackorby & Wagner, 1996). Only 15% of all individuals with ASD gain employment (Cameto et al., 2003). If current trends continue, the unemployment rate of individuals diagnosed with ASD may increase as more children are diagnosed and reach the age of employment. This problem impacts not only individuals with ASD and their families, but also taxpayers. Typically, people with ASD who are employable, but not employed, utilize government benefits that, in turn, cost all of us. 

The population of individuals diagnosed with ASD is increasing. Numerous sources of data have reported a rapidly increasing rate of autism (Autism Society of America, 2006, Center for Disease Control, 2006). In 1992, the Autism Society of America reported the incidence of autism to be 1 in 10,000 births, while in 2011 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported the incidence to be 1 in 110 births. The United States State Department of Education (2002) reported a 544% increase in the occurrence of autism from the 2000-01 school year to the 2002-03 school year. Assuming the prevalence rate has been constant over the past two decades, we can estimate that about 730,000 individuals between the ages 0 to 21 have ASD.

The population of individuals diagnosed with ASD reaching adulthood is also increasing. Vocational Rehabilitation, a division of the Department of Rehabilitation Services, was created to assist people with disabilities in gaining and maintaining employment nationwide. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 (PL 102-569) made assisting individuals with significant disabilities in gaining employment the Department’s primary focus. The U.S. Department of Education and Rehabilitative Services conducted a longitudinal study (Hayward & Schmidt-Davis, 2003) revealing that 65% of applicants turned away or deemed ineligible for services by Vocational Rehabilitation fell under the classification of “significant” or “most significant” disabilities. Individuals diagnosed with ASD are categorized as persons having significant disabilities or most significant disabilities by Vocational Rehabilitation Services.

This increasing population will soon reach the age at which its members can enter the labor force. The number of individuals who received Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) has remained consistent, but the amount of public assistance received by that same population has increased annually. Unless individuals diagnosed with ASD gain and maintain employment, the number of individuals who are supported by public assistance will dramatically increase.

            In 2010, Landmark, Ju, and Zhanga reviewed Kohler’s 1994 study and created the Best Practices in Transition. The Landmark, Ju, and Zhanga (2010) article reviewed Kohler’s practices in order to see if any were more effective than others. The following are the Best Practices listed from most important to least important as identified by Landmark, Ju, and Zhanga (2010):  1) paid or unpaid work experience, 2) employment preparation, 3) family involvement, 4) general education inclusion, 5) social skills training, 6) daily living skills training, 7) self-determination skills training, 8) and community or agency collaboration. The majority of people with ASD receive some type of social skills training and daily living skills training, but few are exposed to the other Best Practices in Transition. But in order to achieve successful transition as measured by employment in this presentation, both professionals and families must work together to guarantee that each individual with ASD have an education containing all of the Best Practices.

The presenter will address each of the Best Practices and provide examples of how to implement each in educational environments, the community, and in the home for individuals with ASD. The ultimate goal for every individual is to be as independent as possible, happy, and safe. According to Robert Webb (2009), “A quality education is custom design that addresses the unique abilities of each student and has a positive emotional experience.” For individuals with ASD, we must consider their strengths and weaknesses to assist them in understanding their needs. Portfolios based on the Best Practices will enable individuals with ASD to have greater success as adults.