It’s never too early to start transition planning.
Are you nervous or stressed about what your child is going to do after high school? Are you worried about how they will respond to not having the consistency of their typical school day? Are you wondering what the options are for your child (college, employment, a day program, or something else)? We know how overwhelming it can be to think about what your child’s post secondary life is going to look like. We are here to help guide you towards the necessary resources and to make sure this is something you are talking about at every IEP meeting, even if your child is still in elementary school.
Transition planning is crucial to the IEP process. Unfortunately, something we have noticed is that many families, schools, and students are waiting to have these conversations about post secondary planning until the student is a Junior or Senior in high school. We want to point out why it is actually possible and necessary to be having these conversations throughout the student’s educational journey!
What is Transition Planning? Transition planning ensures that young people are explicitly taught the skills they need to be successful after high school. This can include matriculating at a college or university but it is so much more than that. Transition planning includes pre employment and employability skills, skills to access the community, life skills (like money management, using public transportation, etc.), as well as housing and independent living.
Did you know that every year when your child’s IEP is updated, so should their vision statement be updated. This vision should be based on what the child/young person sees for themselves in the future and/or based on their interests and skills. Often, especially in the younger grades, this portion of the IEP is overlooked and we see lots of vision statements that look the same. This is one of the most personalized aspects of the IEP and should look like it! In our blog on Student Voice, which you can read here, we talk about ways to include all children and young adults in their IEP meeting and process. This is a good place to start when thinking about developing a Vision Statement and Transition Plan.
On or before the age of 14, a student should be invited to their IEP meeting and should have input in all aspects of their IEP and programming. This is crucial even for students who experience significant challenges with communication and behavior that might make it difficult to sit in a long meeting. Consider having them join right at the beginning to give their vision and goals (with support if necessary of course). If a student uses AAC, they can practice beforehand for easier access to their words. Consider also using a slideshow or another visual prompt to help the student participate.
Also beginning at age 14, the IEP should include a Transition Planning Form. This includes the student’s post secondary vision as well as steps to take to achieve this vision. It should include all areas of a young person’s life: School, Community Access, Employment. Etc. …
In Massachusetts, at the age of 17, the student and their parent/caregiver should be notified in writing of the student’s rights under “Age of Majority”. When the child turns 18, they typically are transferred the rights related to their IEP that were previously held by their parent or guardian. According to the Department of Education:
When a student turns age 18, all of the decision-making rights in special education that have been exercised by the parent transfer to the adult student, unless
a court has appointed a legal guardian for the student, or
the student indicates that he or she wants to share decision-making with his or her parent (or other willing adult), or
the student indicates that he or she wants to delegate decision making to his or her parent (or other willing adult).
For young people who require support after age 22, there are additional steps to take while they are still in their high school placement. When a student turns 17.5 years old in the state of Massachusetts the school should file a Chapter 688 referral to initiate a two year process and ensure a plan is in place for adult services and supports. More information and eligibility requirements can be found here: https://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/iep/688/.
The state of Massachusetts recently passed a law making access to a college experience more achievable for students with Autism and Intellectual disabilities. You can read more about it here: College Access.
Additional resources for parents and caregivers of students in school in Massachusetts:
Transition Planning is such an important and comprehensive topic and this blog just scratched the surface. We encourage you to reach out if you have additional questions or need additional support.
Right now we are offering 30 minute mini sessions that would be a perfect opportunity to talk about transition planning. You can schedule your session here.
