THE HIGH JUMP: TRANSITION ISSUES OF LEARNING DISABLED STUDENTS & THEIR PARENTS

Issues to consider when helping LD students and their parents resolve problems of secondary to postsecondary transitions

Learning disabled (LD) students and their parents, facing the possibility of transition from a secondary to a postsecondary setting, may be involved in some dramatic and stressful changes in their normal routine. It is important for special education professionals to be aware of the problems LD students and their parents encounter during this transition process and seek to understand what this unsettling time means to them.

Some of the issues that face LD students and their parents during his transition and a number of recommendations for consideration in resolving problems during this period are offered in the following paragraphs.

Parents' Reactions to the Transition Process

Typical concerns and reaction parents experience as they go through the transition process from high school to postsecondary schools with their children include the following:

1. Dependence vs. Independence - As the LD student approaches high school graduation, he or she faces a milestone. The LD student becomes an LD adult. Parents are faced with the fact that their LD child will soon be an LD adult. This carries with it many ramifications different than those the parent dealt with before. Parents, as well as the student, go through a period when they must change the level of dependence on each other that has formed naturally over the years. The adjustment is often more difficult for the parents than the child, because parents aren't always confident their child is ready to face what is ahead in an adult world that doesn't readily offer the strong support systems to which they have been accustomed. Allowing their child to plunge into this new territory of independence and responsibility is often one of the most difficult decisions parents make.

2. Dealing with Failure - Although there are many positive aspects in pursuing postsecondary schooling, frequently the future is predicted on the basis of students' past experiences. Parents watched their child struggle through school for 12 years, often feeling little success. Some parents are grateful for the end of that agonizing experience. The idea of their child continuing on to a postsecondary level, carrying with him or her the same problems and deficits, causes parents to worry that the likelihood of failure is high. Parents may feel the student is setting himself or herself up for failure.

3. Confusion About Students' Abilities - Parents are confused about their child's abilities and motivations. On one hand, the LD individual appears to be overly dependent and take a passive attitude, letting others assume responsibility. But on the other hand, when test results are explained to parents, it often becomes obvious their child has many more capabilities than attitude or dependent behaviour indicates (Scheiber & Talpers, 1987). This imbalance between ability and performance puzzles parents. In addition, some parents believe their child should be able to perform as well as other people in the family, and thus they hold unrealistically high expectations for their child (Sinning, Hudson, & Deshler, 1980).

4. Loss of a Familiar Support System - Parents work to provide adequate support for their child in school. Both parents and the LD student become accustomed to that support system. Parents and students are knowledgeable about services and familiar with the special education teachers available to the student, and have taken advantage of them during high school. Parents are concerned the student will "fall through the cracks" when that support system is terminated at the end of high school. They don't know who to turn to for learning and support assistance at the postsecondary level. They realize that the support system in high school, even if imperfect, was a known quantity, whereas they may find no support in the postsecondary setting; the future seems uncertain.

Students' Reactions to the Transition Process

Students are fearful when they approach the end of high school and think about their future. Their reactions may include the following:

1. Disability Awareness and Acceptance - Even though many LD students have received years of special education help in high school, some have never had their specific learning disablility explained to them. Many have never had a clear understanding of their learning disability (Dalke & Schmitt, 1987). Therefore, they are unable to explain their problems to someone else. They are not clear about their specific strengths or weaknesses and how they are manifested in academic areas. They are not able to define coping strategies or accomodations they can use to become successful.

Some refuse to accept they have a learning disability. When it is discussed with them, they deny learning problems exist and find fault in the school or a specific teacher. They are afraid of being labelled "lazy" or being told they are not college material. Some are convinced the problems they have will disappear when they graduate from high school. Because of this, they do not plan ahead to set up support systems when they begin postsecondary school.

2. Lack of Postsecondary Knowledge - Due to a past history of educational failures, many LD students assume they are not capable of continuing beyond high school. They assume because they had learning difficulties in high school, they shouldn't attempt any further schooling. With maturation and specific assistance in postsecondary school, however, they can succeed. Most LD students do not realize any postsecondary systems have some some type of support system for handicapped students and specific programs for learning disabled students. Even though these services are available, the student needs to seek them out and not assume, as in high school, the appropriate services will find him or her (Michaels, Thaler, Gioglio, Zwerlin, &Apostoli, 1988).

3. Learning to Self-Advocate - The LD student is often anxious to start his or her postsecondary education. The student is ready to be more independent, but must face the challenge of changing the dependent relationship with the parents. The student is accustomed to a dependency type of environment in high school, where people knew and understood his or her disabilities. It is frustrating and sometimes embarrassing to ask and explain one's problems and needs to a stranger (Scheiber & Talpers, 1987). However, it is extremely important for the LD student to understand his or her disability and have the self-advocacy skills that will help him or her pursue and maintain the independence desired. (Fisher, 1985).

4. Lack of Preparation for Postsecondary Education - Often, LD students have enjoyed setting short-term goals throughout high school without the thought of postsecondary education. They are not particularly concerned about life after high school. In many cases, it comes as a tremendous shock when students must deal with and formulate a new set of goals. They have never considered long-range goals. They react with uncertainty and confusion about postsecondary options and the new responsibilities of adulthood (Mangrum & Strichart, 1984). It is of utmost importance for them to have the support necessary to make the transition into adulthood.

Recommendations for Resolving Transition Problems

Just as the LD population is complex and diverse, so are the solutions to all the issues involved in the transition process. There are no quick or clear-cut answers. Since the transition of LD students into postsecondary sttings is such a new field, we, as professionals, must work together to develop helpful materials and arrive at constructive methods to prepare students for transition. We must also be a resource for parents as they attend to the transition issues of their children. Some recommendations to be considered include:
Request your school to provide LD teachers with more information about postsecondary options and more transition materials. Teachers should be allowed and encouraged to attend inservices to enhance and increase their awareness of such transition issues as training students to self-advocate and make their own accommodations.
Question your school about providing inservice training on transition issues for LD teachers and guidance counselors. Given inservice time to coordinate their experience, they can expertly meet transition needs. On one hand, the guidance counselor has expertise in postsecondary options, financial aid, and scholarships. On the other hand, the LD teacher has specific knowledge about the needs of LD students. Together they can help students find appropriate placement in postsecondary schools.
Explain their specific learning disability to LD students early. Then help them identify their strengths and weaknesses and how to self-advocate and make accommodations based on them. When LD students graduate from the point of having parents or teachers "do for them" to the point where they can do for themselves, their prospects for success at the postsecondary level become much brighter. They have become more independent and self-sufficient, two necessary qualities for postsecondary success (Mangrum & Strichart, 1984).
Expose LD students to positive LD adult role models. These do not have to be "super hero types" who have achieved high degrees of success. LD students who struggle on a daily basis with their academic difficulties may have a hard time identifying with an executive with a learning difficulty. The student knows, at that level of success, there is staff to help the executive to compensate for his or her weaknesses. Find LD adults in regular jobs and lifestyles with whom students can relate and ask questions.
Check with your local agencies for support groups and inservice training available for parents to help them cope with their LD child approaching adulthood. Parents need the support of other parents and professionals who are experiencing the frustrations of the transition process. You may have a local chapter for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities nearby or contact the national Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (ACLD) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) in your area is an excellent resource for referral services. Your local school system may have or be willing to organize a support group on your own with help from of the above agencies.
Encourage parents to become familiar with their children's disabilities early, so they can help their children become comfortable with their strengths and weaknesses and learn to make accommodations and self-advocate. The sooner LD individuals become aware of their weaknesses and how to compensate using their strengths, the more likely they will be to accept themselves, know what help they need, and how to ask for it. Parents have the earliest opportunity to help children understand themselves and how to make accommodations. Parents are vital members in the team (student, teacher, parent), and their support can make the difference in students' adjustment and success.
Begin the transition process by at least ninth grade. Help students schedule classes that are appropriate for postsecondary school requirements. LD students who do not challenge themselves whenever possible to take mainstream classes start postsecondary school at a disadvantage. They have missed out on general information mainstream students have when entering postsecondary school. Explore career options and take site visits to various postsecondary schools. Find out what special services are offered at postsecondary schools and on the job for LD students. The more exposure students have to all types of postsecondary options and what specific services are available to them, the more likely they are to make appropriate choices.
Include transition objectives in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Design activities and objectives that will bridge the gap from secondary to postsecondary (Seidenberg, 1986). Designate the last IEP meeting as a transition meeting. Include the student, parents, and the postsecondary special services person representing the institution the student will be attending (whenever possible). Prepare students to discuss their need in transition so that objectives can be developed at the postsecondary level to meet those needs and bridge the gap between secondary and postsecondary.

Conclusion

LD students can and do succeed in postsecondary schools. The process of making the transition from secondary to postsecondary school can be difficult, however. When special education professionals understand the difficulties LD students and their parents are experiencing, they can be of tremendous help. With a team approach including teachers, student, parents, and counselors cooperating to make a plan, the transition can be much easier. The recommendations set forth in this article can be the start for that team to help LD students make the "High Jump" to success in postsecondary school.

by Jean E. Ness