Transition to Adulthood; General Guidelines and Resources for Families

greency@ohsu.edu

8/6/2018 8:03 PM

Very often, conversations between parents, providers, and schools focus on the “here and now” -- planning therapy goals, determining what levels of support are appropriate, integrating these into our daily lives in a functional way.  But what happens after high school?  This collection of posts explores some of the issues around transition.

Under IDEA, a transition plan should be in place by the time a person turns 16, but starting early can ensure a good plan is in place.  Key components of comprehensive transition plans address the following aspects of an individual's life: 

• primary and specialty medical care (including nutrition, fitness, and sexuality)
• vocational goals (including postsecondary educational or training needs, training in job-seeking skills, and needs related to workplace accommodations or assistive technology) 
• economic considerations (e.g., insurance, income, work-related benefits, financial assistance programs)
• legal considerations (e.g., guardianships, trusts, conservatorships, rights and responsibilities, draft registration, wills) 
• living arrangements (including personal assistance or assistive technology needs) 
• life skills (e.g., budgeting, cooking, cleaning, transportation, self-care, self-advocacy skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, information-gathering skills, personal hygiene, social skills, personal safety) 
• social life (e.g., friends, family, life partners/children, church, community, recreation/leisure activities) 
• cultural considerations
• service coordination and continuity. 
  

The following are a list of helpful resources which can provide some starting information for families beginning to explore this topic:

The Center for Parent Information and Resources provides helpful starting information.

PACER's National Parent Center on Transition and Employment provides a wealth of information on their main website regarding planning for individuals of all abilities, as well as an orientation guide entitled, "Where Do We Start?"

Got Transition? focuses on assisting families with the transition from pediatric to adult health care.

Autism Speaks created a Transition Toolkit to help guide families through this process.  The guide is available to download and online for free; a hard copy may be ordered through their store.

The US Department of Education provides a transition guide which provides general information regarding Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities.

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Dear greency@ohsu.edu,

I want to thank you for sharing this post and included resources. I have newly immersed myself into the world of private, nonprofit career school for adults with disabilities and have failed to find a document as beautifully clear, concise, and directive as the link you posted for the USDOE "transition guide". Thank you so much for your post and thank you to Communication Matrix for developing such an incredibly useful platform centered around educational assessment and communication.

With sincere gratitude,

Jen Awe - Acting School Director, The Alpha Workshops Studio School 

drawe - 8/27/2018