Self-Determination Skills and Opportunities of Transition-Age Youth with Emotional Disturbance and Learning Disabilities

This study examined the self-determination of adolescents with emotional disturbance (ED) and learning disabilities (LD) from the perspectives of special educators, parents, and the students themselves. Differences in self-determination ratings were associated with both disability group and respondent. Specifically, adolescents with ED were found to have lower ratings of self-determination than students with LD, with the most pronounced differences evident from the teacher perspective. Furthermore, students with ED identified infrequent opportunities at school and home for engaging in self determined behavior, whereas educators and parents differed in their assessments of opportunities in each setting. Implications regarding increasing the self-determination skills and opportunities of adolescents with disabilities are discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)