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Career development for adolescents and young adults with mental retardation

Professional School Counseling, Dec, 2004 by John Wadsworth, Amy Milson, Karen Cocco

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Often, volunteer, leisure, and daily living activities offer opportunities to assess career interests. Frequently, observations of behavior and emotional stability conducted across educational, social, and work settings are used to assess personality and interests (Kanchier, 1990). Although a community-based assessment of work behavior is often a preferred way of assessing the interests and abilities of people with mental retardation, inventories such as the What I Like to Do Inventory (Meyers, Dringard, & Zinner, 1978) and the Audio-Visual Vocational Preferences Test (Wilgosh, 1994) can be used to assist students in identifying their career interests.

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School counselors serving elementary schools can collaborate with teachers to help students with mental retardation develop career interests and the ability to make choices among vocational activities. For example, instructional activities at all grade levels may be designed to provide students with exposure to a wide variety of job-related skills (e.g., following directions) and habits (e.g., timeliness) (Levinson et al., 1994). These activities may assist the student and others in the development and documentation of IEP goals by promoting awareness of the choices and interests that lead to future occupational success (McCrea & Miller, 1999). In addition, occupational preferences may be identified through classroom guidance and individual planning activitics (ASCA, 2003). For example, classroom activitics may be designed to provide the student with exposure to a wide variety of job related environments (e.g., working in a group vs. alone) and patterns (e.g., repetitive consistency vs. sporadic activity). The identification of preferences can help the student define preferences that may translate to preferred occupational environments (e.g., working with others as a crew vs. working independently) and preferred occupational activities (e.g., assembly work vs. customer service).

Transferable Skills

Career planning can play a key role in creating a strategy to identify, develop, and maintain a vocational skill set that will transfer over a succession of employment opportunities. For example, a vocational skill set that will transfer to multiple employment opportunities in clerical and reception occupations may include social skills (e.g., appropriate socialization with peers and customers), mechanical skills (e.g., the use of office equipment), safety skills (e.g., seeking assistance), communication skills (e.g., telephone etiquette), and hygiene skills (e.g., appropriate dress and professional appearance). Individuals with mental retardation often have difficulties generalizing work behavior to new work settings; thus, the opportunity to practice skills across employment contexts is an essential part of developing a career that is resilient to changes in the labor market (Szymanski, 1999). Career development planning beginning in early childhood and extending though adulthood is essential to providing a continuity of work activities that promotes the acquisition of new skills rather than the stagnation of work skills in the pursuit of tenure (Pumpian et al., 1997; Rumrill & Roessler, 1999). The development of skills congruent with abilities, aptitudes, and aspirations within multiple vocational contexts can promote employability and career advancement.

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Career development for adolescents and young adults with mental retardation

Professional School Counseling, Dec, 2004 by John Wadsworth, Amy Milson, Karen Cocco

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