The OARacle Newsletter

“Where do I see my adult child after they leave school?” This may seem like a daunting question, explains Courtney Gebura, transition coordinator at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Center for Autism, but it is one parents of autistic children must ask themselves. Gebura adds, “It’s important for parents to think about how and to what extent they want their child to access the community as well as explore where they want their child to work and live.” According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the preparation for further education, employment, and independent living is referred to as transition planning. Transition planning is a process that brings together you, your child, and your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team to discuss what your and your child’s vision is for life after high school and what skills and supports are needed to achieve the vision while creating a smooth transition to adulthood.

Planning for your child’s transition from school to adulthood is one of the most important challenges you will undertake as a parent. Ashley Barlow, a mother and special education attorney, discussed this on her podcast, Special Education Advocacy with Ashley Barlow. She says she will never forget her first meeting where they discussed her son Jack’s transition to adulthood. “Oh my gosh, was it chaotic? I honestly thought the people were speaking in a foreign language.” As Barlow describes it, this may feel overwhelming; however, Gebura notes that it is vital to remember that you are not alone during the transition planning process. Work with your child’s team to get your child involved in the planning, tackle the transition goal by breaking it into smaller tasks over time, and understand the law. Allow for thoughtful planning, vital information, and open communication that will help you support your child and their pursuit of further education, independence, and employment as you craft the transition plan with your child’s team.

In addition to reaching out to your child’s team, the tips, resources, and strategies below can help as you begin or continue to navigate transition planning for your autistic child.

Understand the law and your rights.

Having a basic understanding of the law and your parental rights will ensure that you have a strong foundation during the transition journey. IDEA makes clear that transition services require the team to develop a coordinated set of activities that utilize an outcome-oriented process for your child. IDEA goes into detail about specific requirements regarding the transition planning process:

• The requirements for transition services
• The components of the transition plan
• Who should be on the transition planning team

In addition to IDEA, Congress enacted another key statute, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to address transition services and assist students with disabilities in achieving their post-school and career goals. The Rehabilitation Act emphasizes that the state and the local education agency provide or arrange pre-employment transition services for all students with disabilities to ensure they have opportunities to receive training and other services/resources required to achieve employment. The Rehabilitation Act goes into detail about:

• Transition services
• The scope of vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities
• Coordination with education officials

Another federal law that will support your child during their transition to adulthood is The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA is a federal law that provides job seekers with access to employment training and support services. According to PACER’s National Parent Training Center on Transition and Employment, the ultimate goal of WIOA is competitive employment for those most vulnerable and “at risk,” including individuals with disabilities. WIOA provides young adults with disabilities with:

• Skill assessments
• Information on employment
• Paid/unpaid job training opportunities
• Job search and placement assistance
• Transition services

For more information about how the law explains transition services, check out OAR’s Guide for Transition to Adulthood and The Department of Education’s Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment For Students and Youth with Disabilities. These are both great resources to assist you in understanding and navigating your rights supporting transition services.

Know what to expect at the transition meeting.

By this point in your child’s education, you have attended multiple IEP meetings. However, the transition planning meeting will look a little different. By knowing what to expect, you can show up prepared and confident to participate and advocate for your child.

What is the purpose of the transition plan?

• The purpose of the transition plan in the IEP is to meet IDEA’s requirements for transition services. To do this, the IEP must contain the services and supports needed to assist your child to gain the skills and experiences necessary to reach their desired post-school goals. (from A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education)

Who will attend the meeting?

• All of the members of your child’s current IEP team will be at this meeting. In addition to the team you are familiar with, the school (or you) may invite members from outside organizations such as vocational rehabilitation agencies that will help support your child’s skill development and goals in regards to their future employment, education, and independent living. It is important to note that IDEA requires the consent of the parents (or the student who has reached the age of majority) to invite other agency representatives to participate in the meeting. (from IDEA Act, Section 300.321)

What will be discussed at the meeting?

• You child’s current skills and abilities
• Your child’s preferences, interests, needs, and strengths
• Your child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional skills (activities of everyday life)
• Your and your child’s long-term goals for adulthood (to include future education, employment, and independent living)
• The impact of your child’s disability on reaching these goals and what organizations and services/supports can be put in place to help reach those goals
• The definition of each transition activity on the IEP, including who is responsible for the activity and when each activity will begin and end
• What type of diploma your child will receive

(from IDEA Act, Section 300.43)

What must be included in the IEP?

• Appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age-appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills
• The transition services (including courses of study) needed to assist the student in reaching those goals
• Age-appropriate transition assessments based on the individual needs of the student to be used to determine appropriate measurable postsecondary goals

As noted in the transition guide published by the Office of Education, “…postsecondary goals and transition services are just one component of a student’s IEP. It is also important for the student’s other annual IEP goals (the student’s academic and functional goals) to complement and address the student’s transition service needs, as appropriate.”

Two other key topics required by IDEA that will be discussed during your child’s IEP transition meeting are the summary of performance and the transfer of rights. Wrightslaw provides an excellent example of a summary of performance document. Discussing the transfer of rights as a family prior to the transition meeting is important so that you can take the course of action that is best for your child and family.

Partner with your child’s team.

For years you have been an integral part of your child’s IEP team, and with this new chapter, there will be new responsibilities and team members at the table. When working with your child’s team, the best thing you can do, according to Michelle Norman, mother and chief operating officer of Partners in PROMISE, is “ask questions! No one is a better advocate than the parent!” By asking questions and providing input, you will ensure the appropriate services and supports are in place for your child. This will help increase the chance for success and a smooth transition into this next stage of life. Questions for your child’s team could include:

• Which assessments will be given to determine my child’s interests, preferences, strengths, and needs?
• What supports/services are required to support my and my child’s vision for the future?
• How will the team support my child’s self-determination/self-advocacy efforts?
• How will my child be included in the transition planning process?
• What graduation track is my child on? Is my child on a standard diploma track? (This is a critical question if your child is planning to attend any type of college. It is vital for you to understand the different types of diplomas offered by your school.)

In addition to asking questions, it is crucial to get your input included in your child’s IEP. Cathy Gibbons, a special education program supervisor, emphasizes the importance of parents sharing their vision for their child through discussions with the team and in the IEP’s parent input or future planning statement. Barlow discussed the importance of these statements on her podcast, highlighting that the “Future Planning Statement allows the parents to submit an informative statement regarding their long-term and short-term hopes, dreams, and plans for the child.” Providing information like this to the team will assist in writing goals, coordinating services, and mapping out how to best support your child and prepare for postsecondary outcomes.

Finally, like any other IEP meeting, it is essential to remember that you can call a meeting at any time to discuss the transition. You may want to request follow-up meetings to discuss progress toward goals, and effectiveness of services and supports and to see if your or your child’s goals/vision have changed.

Start early.

While IDEA requires that transition planning occur no later than age 16, many states require that planning begin at age 14. Parents and professionals alike agree that the earlier you can start planning, the better. You can begin the discussion of what your vision for your child is after graduation as early as elementary school. Postsecondary outcomes are what drive my instruction as an elementary special education teacher and assist in IEP development. By starting these conversations with your child’s team early, the team can develop short- and long-term objectives to ensure your child will receive the needed services, academic instruction, and support.

In addition to starting the conversation and working on transition skills early in your child’s education, both Gebura and Gibbons stress the importance of working on transition and independence skills at home. Remember that it is never too early or too late to start working on these skills.

If possible, you should work on both soft and hard skills with your child. Soft skills are basic interpersonal skills like teamwork, communication, problem-solving, self-determination, and time management. These are skills that can be taught and reinforced through typical daily activities. These skills will build a foundation that will help your child be successful whether at work or in postsecondary education. In addition, you can work on hard skills — those that are specific to pre-vocational and independent living tasks — at home. Like soft skills, you may already be working on hard skills in your daily tasks.

At times, both types of skills will be intertwined in the same activity. For example, tasks like sorting laundry or putting away silverware teach your child independence as well as how to categorize and complete tasks. Answering the phone helps your child build listening and communication skills. Teach your child problem-solving skills (finding an item when it not where they expected it to be), organization, reading/number identification, budgeting, and a variety of other skills by taking them grocery shopping.

Get your child involved in the transition process.

Making sure the child is at the heart of the transition process is not only best practice, but also the law. IDEA requires the school to invite the youth with a disability to attend the IEP team meeting “if a purpose of the meeting will be the consideration of the postsecondary goals for the child and the transition services needed to assist the child in reaching those goals under §300.320(b).” If your autistic child cannot or does not want to participate in the transition planning meeting(s), the school must “…take other steps to ensure that the child’s preferences and interests are considered.” [§300.321(b)]

One way to ensure your child is at the heart of all decisions regarding their transition plan is to have the team adopt student-centered planning. According to OAR’s Guide for Transition to Adulthood, this is an approach to transition planning that prioritizes the interests and aspirations of the individual student. Specifically, the focus is on helping students develop the tools and skills necessary to design their own goals for their career, education, living situation, and other aspects of adult life. In addition, student-centered planning goes hand in hand with self-determination and self-advocacy skills. By starting to learn these skills early, your child will have a strong foundation that will allow them to assume greater responsibility, take the initiative, and be confident during the transition process. Some ways to foster self-determination skills are to:

• Include your child in the IEP meeting.
• Provide opportunities for your child to make choices (at home and school).
• Talk through solutions to everyday problems as well as issues involving their education and future planning.
• Work on goal setting (can be related to daily, academic, or vocational tasks)
• Talk about their autism and have them talk to others about it.

OAR’s guide provides resources to help your child develop strong self-determination/self-advocacy skills.

Create a roadmap to success.

Wherever you are on your child’s transition journey, you can navigate it successfully and with ease by starting the planning early, working with your child’s team, understanding the law, and providing your child with the skills they need to be the heart of the IEP team. While this process may seem overwhelming at times, it is critical because it provides the team with a roadmap for your child’s future. Creating a well-thought-out map will ensure that all team members are on the same page and that all the supports, services and resources are in place to ensure success while removing any roadblocks along the way.

Carla Wyrsch is a graduate of William and Mary Law School’s Education and Advocacy Clinic, a Master IEP Coach®, and the director of school partnerships and provider management for TeleTeachers. She has devoted her career to educating and advocating for children with disABILITIES. Her experience spans a variety of settings, including residential treatment facilities, military bases, public schools, and the Lerner School for Autism at Cleveland Clinic. In addition to her work with children, she enjoys providing coaching sessions to both professionals and parents as well as volunteering for OAR and Partners in PROMISE.