Self-Determination and Transition Planning

by
Karrie A. Shogren, Ph.D.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1 What Is Self-Determination and Why Does It Matter in Transition?

What Is Self-Determination?

Why Does Self-Determination Matter?

Self-Determination and Transition Planning

Transition is kind of a huge deal. So when we planned his transition to adulthood, we were doing a move, a change of schools, and a change of jobs all at once. We decided up front that self-determination was going to be an integral part of the transition process. We set everything up so Michael could make choices and everything would be done with his interests and preferences in mind. We went slowly; first we just did weekends at the new location. When we actually made the move, we took him to the new school, he started his new job, and we noticed almost no behavior problems! When we had transitions in the past, like going from elementary to middle school, we’ve had no sleep, screaming, and aggression. But, this transition was different because we built in Michael’s self-determination.

(Kay—Michael’s mom, personal communication, June 5, 2012)

I have made my decision. It was a very difficult decision and after several tries to get the words out of my mouth to make such a big announcement, I decided to go through with the surgery and I will most likely have it in early to mid-June. It was pretty grown up of me to make such a huge decision, probably the hardest I’ve made in my life. I thought that I would focus on my education and finish my senior year in high school, get my diploma, and then have the operation because of my dedication to school. Making a decision like this really reminded me of the self-determination PowerPoint and how we talked about self-determination and decision making.

(Jake, personal communication, February 21, 2010)

Promoting student self-determination is a critical part of effective transition services (Field, Martin, Miller, Ward, & Wehmeyer, 1998b; Hasazi et al., 2005; Test, Fowler, et al., 2009). The opening quotes demonstrate that self-determination can make a real difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families. Kay, whose son Michael has multiple disabilities, highlights how self-determination enables him to exert control over his world, have his preferences respected, and experience the quality of life that he desires. Jake describes how learning about self-determination allowed him to make adult decisions.

Although most of us would personally and professionally agree that self-determination is important, we would probably also agree that it can be difficult to figure out how to support the students we work with to become self-determining. This book provides strategies to make self-determination more meaningful and accessible for students with disabilities. It focuses on:

1. Clarifying the definition of self-determination and what it can mean to students with disabilities (Chapter 1).
2. Identifying strategies to individualize self-determination instruction (Chapter 2).
3. Identifying strategies to teach skills associated with self-determination (Chapters 3–6).
4. Creating opportunities for expressing self-determination (Chapter 7).
5. Building supports for self-determination (Chapter 8).
6. Promoting self-determination in the systems in which we work (Chapter 9).

Definition of Self-Determination in Special Education

Self-determination can be an elusive concept. Researchers have suggested that there are essential characteristics of self-determination that apply to all students (Wehmeyer, 1997, 2003a, 2003b), and that all students can become self-determining with individualized instruction.

Evidence-Based Practice, Clinical Judgment, and Values

A review of evidence-based practice definitions reveals a common thread: Practices should be supported by rigorous scientific research and consistently lead to positive outcomes (LaCava & Shogren, 2012). Seek out instructional practices that have research to support their impact on outcomes when working with individual students to promote self-determination.

What Is Self-Determination?

Self-determination is a combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enable a person to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior.

Functional Theory of Self-Determination

Wehmeyer (1997, 2003b, 2005) introduced the functional theory of self-determination, stating that self-determination cannot simply be defined as a set of behaviors. It is the function of a person’s actions or behaviors. He specifically said that self-determination is "volitional actions that enable one to act as the primary causal agent in one’s life and to maintain or improve one’s quality of life" (2005, p. 117).

Key Aspects of Self-Determination

1. Volitional actions: Purposeful actions with intent.
2. Autonomy: Students must be able to act as causal agents over their lives.
3. Quality of life: Encompasses the hopes and dreams people have for their lives.

Self-determination is acting with intent to improve one’s quality of life. The skills and attitudes developed lead to essential characteristics of self-determined behavior, which are key takeaways from the functional theory:

• The purpose of self-determined behavior is to achieve hopes and dreams.
• Self-determination develops over time as skills are developed.
• Supports are critical to developing and expressing self-determined behavior.

Culture and Self-Determination

Cultural factors may influence how individual students and their families define quality of life and their expression of self-determined behavior. The role of culture is significant in understanding and supporting self-determination.