Program Eases Transition to Adulthood

Special education occupies a large part of the mission — and budget — of many school districts. With learning disabilities such as ADHD and dyslexia each estimated to affect more than 10 percent of the school-age population, special education teachers have their hands full helping those students navigate increasingly rigorous, state-mandated curricula.
An equally daunting challenge, though, is how to serve a growing student population with more severe learning problems, from intellectual disabilities (the term officially established in 2010 by Congress to replace mental retardation) to autism, a spectrum of cognitive and behavioral conditions that affects an expanding number of youngsters.