Post-secondary Transition Services and the Role of the Occupational Therapist

Abstract

Post-secondary transition services are federally mandated, yet there are great differences in implementation. The purpose of this study was to explore the current practices in post-secondary transition services and to understand how occupational therapists are involved in transition services. Public school administrators from 11 school districts were interviewed, all of whom work in transition services. Triangulation of data, member and stakeholder checks were all completed for validation and to ensure trustworthiness. Analysis of the interviews revealed four assertions: a) Districts use a variety of personnel as the transition coordinator b) Transition assessments need to be continuous and more comprehensive c) More training is needed for the entire transition process d) Occupational therapists are underutilized in transition services From these assertions, one global theme emerged: There is a need for increased training on the overall process to deliver best practice transition services, including timeline, assessments, agency involvement, and training for parents and staff. This study also discussed the importance of parent involvement for student success. Future research is recommended on the implementation of the pre-employment transition services and the process of evaluating students throughout their transition years.