Transition of Adolescents with Behavioral Disorders — is it Successful?

Abstract
This study investigated the adjustment – one year after leaving school – of 130 individuals with behavioral disorders who had been graduated from special education programs throughout the state of Iowa in the classes of 1985 and 1986; 70 dropouts from these same classes were also interviewed. General adjustment areas investigated included living arrangements, leisure activities, mechanisms used to cope with personal problems, and difficulties with law enforcement agencies. Percentage employed, location of employment, hours worked, wages, status, area of job. fringe benefits, and source of help in finding a job are also reported. Employed versus unemployed individuals are compared in terms of gender, type of vocational training received in high school, and paid employment during high school. Individuals were also asked to rate their high school experiences relative to their usefulness in preparing them for various facets of adult life. All results are reported separately for graduates and dropouts.