Effects of Person Centered Planning on Transition Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities
Funded by The Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education
Grant No. H324C040236

Transition from school to adulthood holds the promise of a fulfilling adult life for most young people. Unfortunately, for many youth with disabilities, the outcomes of transition are far less assured. Existing data present a problematic picture of the future in store for many youth with disabilities. There is a significant need for improvements in the process and outcomes of their transition to adulthood. Person-centered planning (PCP) procedures are widely promoted and recommended as an approach to planning that better assures personally valued outcomes in the lives of persons with disabilities. In fact, PCP frequently is identified in the professional and practitioner-oriented literature as a “best-practice” in planning and providing support to youth and adults with developmental disabilities. Person-centered planning procedures are well grounded in terms of philosophical and ethical frameworks for how supports can and should be planned. Logically, PCP procedures seem well suited for use in the transition process. PCP should lead to the development of individualized transition and support plans that are more consistent and compatible with a young person’s goals, interests, needs, wants, and personal preferences, resulting in improved transition outcomes and quality of life for young adults with developmental disabilities.

Despite the large literature and strong conceptual emphasis focused on the use of person-centered planning approaches, little objective empirical research exists that documents the effects or outcomes of PCP. Person-centered planning may well be viewed as an emerging “best practice,” but it currently lacks the research foundation necessary to be confirmed as an “evidence-based” practice in education and support. There is a significant need for experimental research on person-centered planning and its effects in general, and on the effect of PCP on transition planning and outcomes, in specific. The goal of this innovation research project is to conduct a randomized control group research study that will document the effect of PCP on transition outcomes for youth with disabilities and begin to provide the solid research foundation for PCP as an evidence-based practice in education.

The specific objectives for the innovation research project are:

Objective 1: Adapt and validate measurement instruments to assess the quality of person-centered planning, the quality of transition planning and individualized transition plans, the extent of involvement of family and natural community support providers in transition planning, and transition and quality of life outcomes within the context of the proposed study.

Objective 2: Conduct a randomized control group research study to determine the differences and effects on features and outcomes of transition planning resulting from the use or absence of person-centered planning in the transition process.

Objective 3: Disseminate project information and results.

Objective 4: Evaluate and manage the project.