The Self Determination Focus of Transition Goals for Students with Mental Retardation

Teaching students to become self-determined young people has gained wide acceptance as an important outcome of the transition process. There is, however, limited information regarding the degree to which students actually receive instruction enabling them to become self-determined. This study examined the transition goals of students with mental retardation to determine the degree to which these students were being taught skills related to self-determination. Results indicated that there was limited emphasis in transition goals on self-determination. Our discussion focuses on the need to provide systematic instruction in component elements of self-determination in order to achieve this outcome.