Impact of individual characteristics, family structure and family process on educational outcomes for transition-age youth with disabilities with a history of receiving SSI

Education is a critical step toward successful transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities.  Youth who fail to complete high school are more likely to be unemployed and to be involved in the criminal justice system (National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, 2002). Youth with disabilities are also less likely to participate in postsecondary education, thereby negatively impacting their employment opportunities and lifetime earnings (Fleming and Fairweather, 2012). This study utilized data collected in five waves between 2001 and 2009 as part of the National Longitudinal Transition Survey 2 (NLTS2), a large, nationally representative sample of youth with disabilities receiving special education (Wagner, 2006). We examined the relationship between the characteristics of transition-age youth who had received SSI, their family structure and family process and outcomes related to high school graduation (n=969) and postsecondary school attendance (N=788). Results: Variables significantly and positively related to high school graduation included “other health impairment ”, mother’s education, number of parents in the household, and attendance at school events. Negatively related were attendance at parent-teacher conferences and IEP meetings and speaking to the youth about school. Variables significantly and positively related to postsecondary school attendance included disability types other than cognitive disability, mother’s education, attendance at parent-teacher conferences, talking to the youth about plans after high school, and parental expectations. Significantly and negatively related to postsecondary attendance were attendance at IEP meetings and talking to the youth about school. The implications of these findings will be discussed.