Career development for adolescents and young adults with mental retardation

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

School counselors can help the student and members of the IEP team to connect the interest, ability, and temperament factors most salient to the student with occupational opportunities (Melchiori & Church, 1997). Such information can be used to emphasize features in existing activities that contribute to occupational growth and to create opportunities congruent with career preferences in available employment and training programs. For example, through career exploration activities, the salient features of a career as a firefighter for a student with moderate mental retardation are the opportunity to gain respect through wearing a uniform, the perceived social opportunities with fellow firefighters, and the enhanced self-esteem through identification with valued community members. These same components can be constructed within a sheltered work experience that permits that student to train as a "fire safety officer," wear a white shirt as a uniform, conduct fire safety and fire extinguisher checks with staff, participate in fire drills, and meet with firefighters during a routine business inspection. The student's interest and skills in emergency preparedness will increase the student's value to future employers concerned about on-the-job safety and may help this student achieve a succession of work opportunities that are increasingly congruent with and incorporate the student's long-range career goals (e.g., fire department custodial staff, maintenance assistant, clerical assistant). Similar to adolescents who do not have disabilities, young people with mental retardation need career guidance to compete for preferred jobs.

CONCLUSION

Personal career planning is a lifelong activity that assists students in selecting jobs consistent with a career path and maintaining progress in employment consistent with a vision of the future (Rumrill & Roessler, 1999). However, it is a challenge for many young people with cognitive and communication deficits to participate fully in career planning (Whitney-Thomas et al., 1998). School counselors have an important role in assisting the transition planning team to utilize techniques in designing and implementing career development activities that are effective with students with mental retardation.

Consistent with ASCA's National Model (2003), a collaborative, developmental approach to preparing students with mental retardation for the transition to employment permits school counselors to make use of school and community resources while still meeting the career development needs of all students. Although IDEA legislation does not require formal transition planning to begin until a studunt is 14 years of age, it is critical that school counselors promote career development activities for students with mental retardation in the elementary grade levels to promote career success for those students as adults (Black & Langone, 1997). To make meaningful career choices and to set goals that lead to the attainment of those choices, students with and without mental deficits require the same important career development competencies outlined in the ASCA National Model (2003). As advocates for all students, school counselors can be instrumental in making sure the career development needs of students with mental retardation are met.