Self-Determined are individuals who:

• act or cause things to happen as they set and work toward goals in their lives (Shogren, 2020) and who

• make choices,

• solve problems,

• set goals,

• evaluate options,

• take initiative to reach one’s goals, and

• accept consequences of one’s actions (Rowe et al., 2015).

Read more about Self-Determination (You may need to create a free account.)

Read more about self-advocacy. (You may need to create a free account.)

• Disability disclosure
• Disability understanding
• Decision making (including supported decision making)
• Effective communication (requesting help, assertiveness, listening)
• Evaluating options
• Goal setting and attainment
• Identifying independence
• Identifying, selecting, requesting, ...utilizing modifications
• Intrinsic motivation
• Leadership (personal and systemic)
• Knowledge of rights and responsibilities
• Problem solving
• Progress monitoring
• Self-awareness
• Self-determination
• Self-efficacy
• Self-reflection

• Developed by University of Kansas

• Free

• Student and Parent/Teacher versions 

• Designed for young people ages 13-22 with and without disabilities

• Takes only 10 minutes to complete

• Offers audio that reads the questions aloud and in-text definitions of words

• Applying the Personal Preference Indicators to Postsecondary Adult Living, Employment, and Education - PDF 

• in environments and activities where the student is at his or her best. 
• in order to discover who the person is rather than what he or she wants to do. 
• and utilizes existing information instead of information developed through typical evaluations. 

• Who is this student? 
• What contributions can the student make? 
• Where and when the student is at his or her best?

• A 25 Question assessment to determine if a student is ready for the demands of college including: 
• Academic demands, self-advocacy, self-understanding, executive functioning, and motivation and confidence.
• Scoring 80 percent or higher suggests a student is likely to succeed independently in a traditional college environment. 
• Scoring below 50 percent suggests a student is likely to struggle in a traditional college setting. For these students, specialized strategies and skills-building may be needed. 

This workbook is designed for youth and adults working with them to learn about disability disclosure and help them make informed decisions about whether or not to disclose their disability and understand by considering how that decision may impact their education, employment, and social lives. Based on the premise that disclosure is a very personal decision to be made by young people themselves, the workbook helps young people think about and practice disclosing their disability.

• Set goals
• Make choices and decisions
• Develop plans to reach goals
• Track progress toward goals

We have a paper handout for this activity. You can also download it on your device.

•Student Self-Monitoring

•Functional Communication

•Postsecondary Transition Assessments

•Discussions with Students

•Direct Instruction

•Leadership Skills

•Making Choices

•Collaborating with students

"Packed with practical, research-validated guidance on explicitly teaching self-determination skills, this book helps educators support students in communicating their interests and needs, setting and reaching goals, and managing their own lives."

"Michael Wehmeyer, and Sharon Field present research-proven instructional strategies that empower special needs students at all grade levels to make their own decisions. Self-Determination offers detailed and current practitioner-oriented approaches within the context of inclusion, standards-based reform, and access to the general curriculum."

Hosted by the UMass Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research (Transitions ACR). April 2026

with Michelle G. Mullen, PhD

The session highlighted how under-refined executive functioning skills affect academic persistence for students with mental health conditions. Dr. Mullen introduced The White-Knuckle Effect—an alternate explanation for why students with mental health conditions experience higher dropout rates than other student groups—and Focused Skills & Strategies Training (FSST), a 12-session, evidence-based intervention that builds compensatory executive functioning strategies.

In the webinar, she described how FSST helps students move from surviving to thriving by strengthening self-regulation and goal-directed behavior and introduces tools to reduce overload, enhance persistence, and reframe support for student success.