Date of Conferral

5-12-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Derek Schroll

Abstract

Students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically experience less postsecondary success when compared to their neurotypical peers. The specific problem addressed in this study is that many students with ASD in the rural communities of Southwest Missouri are not experiencing post-graduation success. Guided by Schlossberg’s transition theory and Kohler’s taxonomy for transition programming 2.0, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore secondary special education teachers’ perceptions of the transition planning process for students with ASD related to successes, challenges, and needed support. Ten special education teachers, representing five different schools, who worked directly with the transition planning process in rural southwest Missouri were interviewed. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis with open and axial coding. The results revealed that participants were the most confident when working on student development, student-focused planning, and family engagement, or the human aspect of the planning process. Participants described challenges working on interagency collaboration and program structure components, which accounted for the areas where the participants felt they needed the most support. All the teachers indicated a lack of opportunity or resources available for the students due to the extremely rural area where they lived. Key recommendations are the need for additional support and resources for teachers in rural communities to improve their transition planning process. Implications for positive social change include the potential for special educators to improve the postsecondary outcomes for students with high-functioning ASD, which could lead to a better quality of life for these students.

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