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An Examination of Autonomous Functioning Skills of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

KATHLEEN LEWIS is Special Education Teacher in Prince George’s County, Maryland; JULIANA M. TAYMANS is Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Preparation and Special Education, The George Washington University. AUTONOMY is a complex concept which involves emotional separation from parents, the development of a sense of personal control over one’s life, the establishment of a personal value system, and the ability to execute behavioral tasks which are needed in the adult world. Successful employment, formation of a family, establishment of a residence separate from the parental home, independently engaging in social activities, and use of community resources are all cited as landmarks of autonomous behavior. Follow-up studies which investigate the status of students with learning disabilities (LD) after their exit from the public school system indicate that they frequently fail to accomplish many of those landmarks of autonomous behavior.