Career aspirations: Similarities and differences between adolescence with learning disabilities and adolescence not receiving special education services

The Self-Directed Search (SDS) and Career Advisement Questionnaire: Adolescent Form were administered to a group of high school students who were either classified with a learning disability (LD) or who were not receiving special education services. The SDS and Career Advisement Questionnaire: Parent Form were administered to a subset of parents of students with LD. Results indicate that students with LD differed in their work personalities compared to students not receiving special education services and compared to their parents’ estimates of their work personalities; specifically, students with LD held lower self-estimates about their own abilities compared to peers. Students with and without LD received similar career advisement from their parents. These findings have significant implications for parents and school personnel who work with students with LD, as more focus needs to be placed on developing self-efficacy in students with LD