The average person who would ask me, 'What did you teach?' likely wouldn't have understood if I told them that I taught Transition. It's a niche of special education that most people are not familiar with. So when asked, I often responded that I taught, 'Post high school special education for students who were 18-22 years old.' If they seemed familiar or inquired further, I'd share that I taught 'Life skills to young adults to help them prepare for real life.'
I'd often see the wheels turning, even after I had given, what I believe to be, a rather simple answer. I think people wonder...
"What kinds of stuff does she teach all day?"
"What students would be in her classroom?"
"How are students still in school after they graduate from high school?"
If I were speaking with someone with some knowledge of special education, then I would mention that I taught Transition, but even then, it's rather unknown what Transition is. To be clear, I taught in a Transition Program that was an extension of a high school district in Illinois. And, as you'll see if you keep reading, there are Transition Services, Transition Programs, and Transition Plans. The similar names aren't meant to be misleading; in fact, they are intertwined, as they all focus on the same end goal: real-life success.
So, before I review Transition Programs for students with autism and other disabilities, let me back up and give you more context as it relates to Transition. It is important to understand some lingo, as so much of it sounds the same (like I mentioned above) before I dive into Transition Programs.
What is 'Transition?'
Simply put, Transition is the time in which there are services and supports provided by the school and/or outside organizations to help the student make the TRANSITION (or shift) from school to post-school adult life. Graduating from high school is a monumental change for any student. For students receiving special education services, there are supports that are offered to assist with that change.
According to the Individuals with Disabilites Education Act Section 1400.d.1.A, it states that, "to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living."
Therefore, the goal for a successful transition is to address the unique needs and to prepare students to achieve their education, employment, and independent living goals they set for themselves after they leave high school/special education services.
If I zoom out and look from a 30,000-foot view for a moment, school is often associated with academic skills, like English, Science, and History. Transition, on the other hand, tends to focus on skills that the student would need to live their day-to-day lives. Some would refer to these as functional or life skills. Transition offers support for students to be successful in life after they leave the traditional school setting.
What is a Transition Plan?
Much like Goals are one section of the IEP, the Transition Plan is a section that makes up the overall IEP. The Transition Plan, or Transition IEP as it is sometimes called, outlines some key information related to what the student wants their life to look like after they graduate or exit from Special Education services.
This 'key information' is gathered through a transition assessment, which the school staff, like a case manager, would give to the student, family, and other IEP team members to gather feedback.
The person or team developing the IEP would summarize the information from these assessments and draft the Transition Plan.
Subsections within the Transition Plan (as pulled from the Transition Assessments):
- Independent Living outcome- Where the individual plans to live upon graduating or exiting from school. (i.e. at home with family)
- Post-Secondary Education outcome- The student's preferred educational environment and anticipated end goal (i.e. community college to earn an associate's or 4-year university majoring in Business)
- Training outcome- What vocational training needs to take place to support the student in achieving either volunteer or paid employment opportunities.
- Employment outcome- The paid job of highest interest that the student is seeking to achieve. (i.e. Part-time paid employment at a comic book store or full-time employment as a paralegal)
- Transition Goals- These are goals specifically written OR will support the student in achieving the aforementioned Independent Living, Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Employment Outcomes. For example, there may be a specific goal to explore a college admission requirements for a student who wants to pursue a 4 year degree to address the Education Outocme OR the outcome might be addressed through an academic-based goal as they may need those skills to pass the class to be eligible for university-level admissions. Check out my blog post about Writing IEP Transition Goals for High School and Transition Student for more information on writing IEP transition goals.
- Outside Agencies- These are agencies NOT provided by the school that the student could reach out to after they graduate or exit if they needed support. For example, this might be an agency that helps to train individuals to find employment (like the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation), a day program for recreational activities, or a Disability Services office or college experience program at a university. THIS section is the page that I would highlight and point out to families as the page they would likely need to reference after their student left school. It often answers the, 'I didn't know what was available to help them.' fear that parents and caregivers experience when the school bus stops coming.
Educator Best Practices: Use more than 1 transition assessment when developing the Transition Plan. It is important to note that transition assessments need to be completed before every Annual Review IEP meeting, so every year the student is in school, even if the responses don't change. Meaning, if you are a parent or primary caregiver, you will likely be asked to complete some paperwork before the IEP. If you need a life skills-based transition assessment for families, check out this free resource.
The exact 'when' the Transition Plan becomes a section of the IEP varies state by state; however, it is usually during the teen years. Many states require a Transition Plan to be written into the IEP no later than 16 years old, but may be as young as 14.5 years old (like in Illinois).
And, a Transition Plan is a fluid document. It can be amended (edited) at any time and should be updated yearly, as the needs and wants of the student will inevitably change over time.
Also, the loudest voice taken into consideration should be that of the student. They are the ones who will be charged with achieving their Independent Living, Training, Education, and Employment outcomes, so their voice is an indication of their interest or internal motivation to achieve, meaning it should carry the most weight in the transition planning process.
What are Transition Services?
Transition services are provided for students with disabilities who have an IEP to prepare them for postsecondary education, independent living, and the world of work or volunteer. These services are an outline IN the Transition Plan.
Transition services are provided through special education services to students with special needs who are beginning to explore and pursue post-secondary options and adult life.
The U.S. Department of Education requires that an IEP include a subsection, Transition Services, for students no later than 16 years old; therefore, these services are typically added in middle school or high school. Transition services will remain a part of the IEP until special education services end, which may be graduation for high school students, or when the young adult student ages out of special education services at 22 years old (or 26, if you reside in Michigan).
Let me elaborate more on 'Services.'
A 'service' might be an activity, agency, resource, or support that is shared with the student and family or provided by the school to prepare the student for life AFTER special education.
Example of Transition Services:
Activity- Visit a local higher education campus, like a trade school or community college, to help the student see and hear about what's available to them after graduation or exit.
Agency- Vocational Rehabilitation Services contact information for the student to access for career development assistance
Resource- Social skills program specifically for young people in the local area that can be accessed while the student is in school and after.
Support- Completing research and inventories with school staff to determine college readiness
If you are asking yourself, 'My student didn't receive these exact activities, agency connections, resources, or support,' it's because the Transition Services that are offered are unique to each student, their needs, and long-term goals.
What might be shared with one student may not be shared with another student, due to a lack of eligibility, differing educational plans, or opposite independent living desires. Much like every IEP is tailored to the individual needs of the student, you know, the INDIVIDUALIZED part of the IEP, the Transition Plan is written specifically for that student. The Transition Plan isn't just a brochure that is stapled to an IEP with one version for students with learning disabilities and a different version for autistic students. Rather, it includes specific end goals with corresponding services and supports to support the student in 'transitioning' to young adulthood.
If you are curious about the difference between an intellectual disability and autism, be sure to check out my blog post where I go in-depth into each disability.
What is a Transition Program?
A Transition Program is additional support that is provided to the student after they have earned the credits for their high school diploma. While this is usually offered through a school district, a district may work with another local organization or program to offer Transition Programming.
Since accepting a high school diploma officially ends the need for school, taking the physical diploma would also mean that special education services send. So, students who take advantage of a postsecondary transition program will not be able to accept their diploma until they age out of services, have reached their transition goals, or when they choose to willingly exit from services.
Don't read what I didn't say! The student has EARNED their diploma, but can't receive the physical diploma until the day they exit. If this seems scary or off-putting to you, just consider that the student could continue to receive special education services for FREE in exchange for a single piece of paper. Is the paper in hand worth giving up free services? Keep in mind that if the student asked their school for a transcript, it would likely show they have earned the credits necessary for graduation, if there is a need for proof.
Transition programming may take place outside of traditional school settings, including on campus at local colleges, at community job sites for hands-on work experience, or in another building separate from the high school. The types of support services that are provided to students in transition programming vary greatly from district to district and state to state. Some transition programs may provide students with additional support while they are enrolled in college courses, or life skills support in a space that mimics a small apartment, or part-time programming while the student learns work skills through competitive employment. Therefore, I can't give you exact details as to what your district's transition program may entail because they vary so greatly. Just know that transition programming can be a spectrum of offerings.
Best Practice: It is best practice for a Transition Program to be more immersed in the community the young adults would be accessing, as those environments (work sites, community spaces) and people (college students, coworkers) are now their peers (a.k.a- not freshman in high school) than within a high school building.
Who Qualifies for Transition Services and Transition Programs?
Now that we know that Transition Services are different from Transition Programs (see definitions above for a reminder), let's cover who qualifies for each.
Transition Services: Students at a certain age 'qualify' for transition services. I put the word qualify in quotes because once the student reaches the specific age, which is determined by the state, the Transition Plan section of the IEP will be added and Transition Services will begin.
Transition Program: There are no hard and fast rules about who qualifies for a Transition Program, meaning the student does not need to have a specific diagnosis or eligibility, like autism spectrum disorder, developmental disabilities, or intellectual disabilities, to 'qualify' for programming.
With that said, Transition Programming varies greatly from state to state, town to town, and district to district. For example, the Transition Programming that is offered at one school district could be drastically different from the Transition Programming offered at the school district right next door. And, some districts may not offer their own Transition Programming, but contract with other schools, programs, or organizations to offer Transition Programming. Qualification is based on the student achieving their Transition Plan goals or outcomes. Meaning, if the student has achieved their Transition Plan goals or outcomes, they no longer need Transition Programming. Therefore, accessing transition programming is NOT based on a disability or eligibility. In short, students with intellectual disabilities do not automatically qualify and autistic students do not automatically not qualify. It's all based on their long-term goals
Successful Transitions
In my 10 years of experience as a transition teacher and transition facilitator (click <--- for more about that role, the students and families with the most positive outcome from Transition Services and Transition Programs did the following:
- Panned out and supported their student in taking advantage of both functional and academic support options that were available, including being open to a variety of different employment options, exploring the community, and socialization opportunities beyond the structure of a school building.
- Incorporated outside therapies as school supports fade, like speech therapies and social workers, so there was thoughtful time spent finding and building a rapport with more long-term solutions.
- Set up benefits and took advantage of these benefits before the student exits. Benefits include funding, services, and supports. Here are benefits specific to adults with autism, and here are benefits specific to individuals who reside in Illinois.
- Saw student success beyond just an academic achievement or greater independence in a single skill, but rather took advantage of all that was offered during the limited time, as long as it aligned with the student's long-term goals.
Transition planning spans anywhere between 2-6 or more years (depending on your state), so there is time to refine the transition plan and secure the right support to achieve the long-term goals. As a Transition Facilitator, I worked with families to learn about transition services, assisted with transition programming, and supported families as they accessed benefits so their students had funding and services after special education services ended. The families and students who were proactive during the time their student had a transition plan often felt more ready for the last day of school than those who put off preparing until the last few months or weeks of their student's educational career. I saw firsthand that when the family took advantage of school staff who could support them and their students in transitioning to post-school life, they felt less worried and fearful.
