Literature Review of Interventions for Between-Task Transitioning for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Including Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Transitioning between activities or settings may pose great difficulty for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, yet engaging in independent, smooth transitions may be a requisite skill for inclusion in a number of school and community settings. In the current empirical literature review, 32 studies that focused on teaching independent transitioning skills or decreasing challenging behavior in the context of transitions were examined. Studies were divided into two general categories: (a) decreasing challenging behavior and (b) teaching independent transitions. Each general category was then divided into subcategories: antecedent- or consequence-based strategies. The goals of this review were to determine what interventions are most prevalent and effective in the current literature base, identify the extent to which effects are maintained and generalized, and suggest directions for future research.