Young Adults with Behavioral Disorders—Before and after IDEA

Abstract

The results of follow-up studies conducted on individuals with behavioral disorders (BD) from two high school graduating classes are compared. One class (class of 1985) was graduated well after passage of Public Law 94–142, but before passage of IDEA (when transition planning became a federal requirement); the other class (class of 1993) was graduated after passage of IDEA. Two questions were addressed: (1) Were graduates with BD from the class of 1993 better off than their counterparts from the class of 1985 as young adults out of school 1 year? and (2) Should we be satisfied with the status of these individuals as young adults? The class of 1993 demonstrated better outcomes than the class of 1985 in several areas, but graduates with BD did not experience outcomes equal to those of their classmates without disabilities.