The Brookes Transition to Adulthood Series

EVIDENCE-BASED Instructional Strategies FOR Transition

by David W. Test, Ph.D.
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Transition-Focused Education

David W. Test

1. Transition-Focused Education and Standards-Based Education
2. Overview of This Book
3. For Further Information

Transition Assessment for Instruction

Dawn A. Rowe, Larry Kortering, and David W. Test

1. Transition Assessments: The Key to a Transition-Rich Individualized Education Program
2. Definition and Types of Transition Assessment
3. Using Transition Assessment to Write Postsecondary Goals
4. Summary
5. For Further Information

Teaching Strategies

Sharon M. Richter, April L. Mustian, and David W. Test

1. Instructional Content: Finding Balance
2. Community-Based and Community-Referenced Instruction
3. Simulated Instruction
4. Summary
5. For Further Information

Data Collection Strategies

Valerie L. Mazzotti and David W. Test

1. Dimensions of Behavior
2. Data Collection Strategies
3. Summary
4. For Further Information

Student-Focused Planning

Nicole Uphold and Melissa Hudson

1. Rationale for Involving Students in Transition Planning
2. Steps for Involving Students in the Transition Planning Process
3. Summary
4. For Further Information

Student Development: Employment Skills

Allison Walker and Audrey Bartholomew

1. Least-to-Most Prompting
2. Community-Based Instruction
3. Summary
4. For Further Information

Bound for Success: Teaching Life Skills

April L. Mustian and Sharon M. Richter

What Are Life Skills?

Life skills are grouped into five broad clusters:

1. Self-care and domestic living
2. Recreation and leisure
3. Communication and social skills
4. Vocational skills
5. Other skills vital for community participation

Importance of Life Skills Instruction

Explicit life skills instruction is characterized by:

• Breaking down complex tasks into smaller instructional units
• Step-by-step modeling and guided practice
• Immediate corrective feedback

Evidence-Based Practices in Life Skills Instruction

1. Using backward chaining to teach functional life skills
2. Using community-based instruction to teach communication skills
3. Using constant time delay to teach banking skills
4. Using self-management instruction to teach social skills

Summary of One-More-Than Strategy to Teach Purchasing Skills

Objective: To teach purchasing skills using the one-more-than technique.
Setting: School library and community.
Materials: $1, $5, and $10 bills for role-play.
Steps:

1. Count one dollar for the cents pile.
2. Count the appropriate number of dollar bills for the purchase.
3. Pay for the item using all of the bills in the pile.

Evaluation

Monitor student performance through daily probes for accuracy in performing the purchasing technique.

Using Constant Time Delay to Teach Banking Skills

Objective: To teach students to make a cash withdrawal at an ATM or write checks for cash.
Materials: ATM card and check writing materials.
Content taught: Task analysis for ATM use includes steps from inserting the card to cashing checks.

Using Community-Based Instruction to Teach Grocery Shopping Skills

Evidence Base

Practice implemented:

• Community-based instruction (CBI) for students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.
• Includes simulated instruction paired with CBI.

References Used to Establish This Evidence Base

1. Bates, P.E. et al. (2001). Simulated and community-based instruction.
2. Ferguson, R., & McDonnell, J. (1991). Teaching grocery shopping skills.

This document contains excerpts from Evidence-Based Instructional Strategies for Transition by David W. Test, Ph.D.