College Transition “Boot Camp”
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITIONING
YOUR CHILD TO COLLEGE.
Carla Lemon MS, LPC Syntero, Coaching for College Success
Erin Canaday Dublin City Schools, Transition Coordinator
Katherine Litzinger, Ph.D. Dublin City Schools, School Psychologist
Kristi Masters, LISW-S Dublin City Schools, Student Support Specialist
Purpose of Today’s Session
•  Normalizing College Transition
•  Helpful Tips for College Preparation
•  Executive Functioning
•  Accessing Disability-Related Services at College
•  Specific Transition Considerations
Normalizing Transition
—  Parenthood has two
major transitions
Arrival to the nest
¡  Departure from the nest
¡
—  Common Feelings
¡
Ambivalence
Anxiety
Excitement
Stress
Fear
¡
Depression
¡
¡
¡
¡
—  Emotional roller-coaster
Transition from High School to College
—  Normal to feel anxious,
stressed.
—  Feelings are exacerbated
when you are parenting a
child with a disability.
—  Moving from “super”
involved to minimal
involvement
—  New roles for both
parent and student
—  Big Changes-Doable with
Support and Focus!
Healthy New Challenges!!!
Things to consider…
—  3 words you would use to
describe your child.
—  3 words that you would use
to describe your parental
relationship with your child
—  3 things that you are most
concerned about when
thinking about your child’s
transition to postsecondary education
Your Unique 3 “Things” To Focus On…
—  Small Bites…
—  Create a Plan for
Summer of 2015
—  Create a Plan for Fall of
2015
—  What is making you the
most anxious? Biggest
concerns and
concentrate on those
issues. Laser focus…
Top Issues of Concern for Parents
—  Executive Functioning
—  Difficulty with transitions
—  Impulse control
—  Interpersonal skills/
—
—
—
—
socialization
Self-Sufficiency/Autonomy
Self-Advocacy
Anxiety/Depression/Fear
Medication Management
What are your child’s unique needs?
—  Avoid Denial: Be honest
¡
¡
Encourage your child to be upfront
Will ensure a healthy start to college life
—  What is their learning style?
¡
Match your student with quality and character of the university
¡
Consider strengths and weaknesses of disability
—  Disability Service Needs
¡
¡
How independent is your child?
Involved or Independent services?
—  College Environment
¡
¡
2 year state college OR 4 year college
Small or large?
Most Commonly Asked Questions
—  Is my child ready for college?
—  What do I look for when researching a college?
—  What do I ask when visiting a college?
IEP vs 504 Plan
—  K-12: provides the OPPORTUNITY to be successful
—  Promotes heavy parent involvement
—  College: provides ACCESS to be successful
—  Promotes heavy student independence
Support differences between high school and college
High School
—  School districts responsible for
identifying , testing, offering services
—  School responsible for funding
assessments providing auxiliary aids,
or academic adjustments
—  Plan is reviewed with parents yearly
—  Heavy day-to-day involvement in
students academic accommodations
—  Parents may receive daily, weekly,
monthly progress reports
College
—  Does not comply with IDEA
—  IEP’s are no longer valid and have NO
legal standing
—  Students responsibility to submit proof
of disability
—  Despite obvious physical handicaps,
accommodations will not begin unless
requested by student
—  If testing is outdated or missing info –
student is responsible to seek out and pay
for additional testing
Common Accommodations in College
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Priority registration
Extended time on assessments/assignments
Small group testing
Oral testing
Copies of notes
Reader
Scribe
Textbooks in alternate format
Calculator
Interpreter
Course substitutions
Housing accommodations
How to Access Accommodations at College
—  Slightly different depending on the college
—  Public universities required to provide services since they
receive federal funding
—  Do your research
—  Make an appointment with the Office of Disability
Services as soon as possible
—  Provide copies of all documentation (current evaluation/
plan should be mailed to you at end of year)
—  Discuss what supports/services typically accessed
—  Approved accommodations will be sent to professors
—  Important to self advocate; make an appointment with
professors to discuss logistics
Executive Functioning
¡
Building Executive Function skills are the keys to managing
the transition.
Executive Functioning Skills
—  Impulse Control
—  Time Management
—  Interpersonal Skills/ Socialization
—  Self-Sufficiency/Autonomy
—  Self- Advocacy
—  Mental Health
—  Medication Management
—  Navigating New Environments and Seeking Support
—  Difficulty with Transitions
Impulse Control
—  2 Stages
¡  The ability to pause to think it through
¡  The discipline to maintain the resistance after the initial pause.
Tips to Increase Impulse Control
—  1. INTERRUPT THE IMPULSE
¡  Setting up conditions to delay your ability to perform the act
Unplug the TV or put the remote in a hard to reach spot.
÷  Remove bookmarks from your web browser
÷
—  2. MAINTAIN THE IMPULSE CONTROL
¡  Not giving in to the desire after the impulse is interrupted
Leave yourself notes with reasons to maintain the resistance
÷  To fight temptation, try substituting a healthier, more immediate reward
for refraining
¢  i.e. money in shopping, hobby, vacation jar when control is exercised
÷
Tips to Increase Impulse Control Cont’d
—  3. REDUCE STRESS
¡  Extreme stress does not allow the brain to work properly
¡  When overtaxed-the brain resorts to responding by habit
¡  The more on your mind, the easier it is to give into temptation.
÷  Take
brain breaks
÷  Relaxation
÷  Address only the primary necessity
to avoid feeling overwhelmed
Time Management
—  Planning and prioritizing:
¡  Develop steps needed to reach a goal
¡  Break tasks into smaller,
more manageable chunks.
—  Task initiation:
¡  The ability to get started on something
¡  Kids with task initiation problems may seem lazy or
procrastinators
¡  Often they’re so overwhelmed they freeze
Tips to Increase Time Management
—  Assess how long it takes to complete the task currently?
—  What is the actual time to complete task?
—  “To Do Lists”
¡  Studies show the adult brain becomes overwhelmed with lists
containing over 7-8 items
¡  Make them “achievable”
÷  Create
“project” list
÷  “follow-up” list
÷  “don’t forget” list
Tips to Increase Time Management
Illustrated Schedule
Interpersonal Skills/Socialization
—  USA today reports :
¡  1 in 4 people spend more time socializing online, via sites such
as Facebook and Twitter, than talking in person
¡  Researchers have found word-of-mouth exchanges are still
most influential
—  Skill development will:
¡  Increase ability to troubleshoot issues with instructors
¡  Increase ability to consult with advisors proactively
Tips to Build Interpersonal Skills
—  Scenario 1: Your child has a difficult roommate
¡
How you can help: Begin practicing assertive
communication to express feelings and articulate needs
÷  Model
—
appropriate communication
Scenario 2: Your child has desire to join an extra
curricular club/activity
¡
How you can help: Work with child to increase personal self
worth and self esteem
÷  Write
out strengths
Tips to Build Interpersonal Skills
—  Scenario 3:Your child struggles with talking to instructors.
¡  How you can help: Work together to develop “conversational turn
taking” skills
÷  Dinner table
÷  Riding in the car
—  Scenario 4:Your child struggles with expressing emotions
appropriately
¡
¡
How you can help: Don’t do the heavy lifting for them
Ask questions that will guide them in developing strategies and
possible solutions.
÷  Ask, “When you become upset, how are you going to resolve it”?
Self Sufficiency/ Autonomy
—  Colleges focus on making students into independent
learners and help strengthen their weaknesses.
¡  Assistive
technology, spell check, alarms on cell phone for
reminders, etc.
—  Students take charge of their own learning
¡  Introduce themselves to professors
¡  Regular communication with DS
—  Skills for daily functioning
¡  Laundry, groceries
Self Advocacy
—  Know Yourself
¡  Focus on Strengths
—  Know your Disability
—  Knowledge of Your Accommodations
—  Assertive Communication
¡  Advocacy for accommodations
—  Be Proactive
Mental Health in College Students
Top 5 Mental Health Problems in College Students
—  Depression: 36.4% of college students in 2013
¡  #1 reason students drop out of school
¡  Left untreated it may lead to suicide
—  Anxiety: 40 million adults over the age of 18
¡  75% will experience their first episode before the age of 22
—  Suicide: 2nd leading cause of death among college students
¡  10% of college students have thought about or made a plan to commit suicide
¡  1,000 suicidal deaths on college campuses in the U.S. every year
—  Eating Disorders: 95% of those with eating disorders at 12-25
¡  91% of college women attempt to control their weight through dieting
¡  25% of college women binge and purge to manage their weight
—  Addiction: About 80% of college students drink
¡  About 50% of those are binge drinkers
¡  1,825 students, ages 18 to 24, die from alcohol-related injuries annually
Supporting Access to MH Care
—  1 in 4 students have a diagnosable illness
—  40% do not seek help
—  80% feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities
—  50% have been so anxious they struggled in school
—  Game Plan
¡  Available resources
¡  Access to services
Ecological Model of Support
County Resources
Neighborhood
School
Family and
Friends
Individual
( Coping
Skills)
Medication Management
—  Increase your child’s involvement with managing
meds (starting 11th grade)
—  Increase familiarity and comfort with medications
¡  More likely to maintain good practices during college.
—  Begin with smaller tasks
¡  Calling the pharmacy or their therapist
to ask for a refill
Medication Management Cont’d
—  Weekly pill dispenser
¡  Student begins dispensing their own medication weekly
¡  Parents can check to be sure the meds were taken
—  Smartphone alarms as reminder to take pills on time
¡  Use a unique tone for the reminder so it can't be overlooked or
mistaken for a call or text.
—  Invest in a medication lockbox
Medication Management Cont’d
—  Discuss the dangers of mixing medication and alcohol
¡  Some medications potentiate the effects of alcohol
¡  Be realistic, not sensational
¡  Be transparent
÷  Refrain
from sharing personal college mishaps
÷  Re-route conversations to promote executive decision making skills
—  Fear tactics don’t work!
¡  Avoid saying “You can never, ever have a beer at a frat party.”
¡  Provide ways to problem solve and “take care of themselves”
and still have a college experience.
—  Talk about the consequences of sharing medications
¡  Legal ramifications
Navigating Campus/ Seeking Support
—  Available Resources
¡  Variations in accommodations
¡  Visit the Office of Disability Services
÷  Tutoring
÷  Counseling/
Wellness
÷  Adapted rec programs
÷  Support groups
÷  Peer Advocates
—  Tour the campus
—  Get to know the college advisor (student and parent)
—  Student must ASK for support when needed
Mental Health
—  Include your current therapist during transition
¡
¡
Focus on the 3 areas of concern
Encourage your child to process fears and concerns
—  Investigate insurance policies for mental health on/off campus
¡
¡
¡
Often provided with student health package.
Some plans exclude coverage for psychiatrists, psychologists, and
pharmacies.
If off-campus services are preferred, contact the university for local
referrals
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(“FERPA”)
—  Federal law that affords parents the right to have
access to their children’s education records, the right
to seek to have the records amended, and the right to
have some control over the disclosure of personally
identifiable information from the education records. —  When a student turns 18 years old:
Rights SHIFT from parents to student (“eligible student”)
¡  Parents must have the FERPA password to access info
¡
Preparation Throughout Transition
—  Be prepared to see less of your child this summer.
÷
÷
The closer it gets to departure time, the less you can expect to see of your child. He
will likely be spending every waking hour with friends.
Allow them this special time together.
—  Make a financial plan and discuss expectations with your child.
¡
Develop a tentative budget and be clear about who will pay for what.
÷  Books and supplies, incidentals, snacks (Parents or student)
—  Teach your child about responsible use of credit and debit cards.
—  Discuss academic goals and expectations ahead of time.
¡
¡
They should be realistic to account for change in daily demands
May change course of study (80%)
—  Grades are not the only indication of learning.
¡
¡
¡
Independence
Advocacy
Time management
Preparation Throughout Transition Cont’d
—  Communication: Keeping in touch
¡
Talk to your child about how you'll keep in touch.
÷
÷
Planned or spontaneous?
E-mail and text: Be prepared for a delayed reply
—  Be a coach rather than trying to solve your child's problems yourself.
Reassurance Calls
¡  Less calls about the latest exciting news
¡  Late nights calls- students are looking for
encouragement
÷  Encourage your child to use the appropriate
÷  campus resources
¢  Health service
¢  Career center
¢  Talk to an advisor
¢  Dean
¢  Counselor or tutor
¡
Preparation Throughout Transition Cont’d
—  Be an anchor
Encourage, Encourage, Encourage
¡  Keep your student informed about changes at home.
¡  College students want acceptance for their changes…But want
home life to stay the same.
¡  Necessary to feel secure and
¡
—  Alert your student:
¡  An illness in the family occurs
¡  A pet passes away
¡  Moving a younger sibling into
their room
Letting Go: Giving up “Locus of Control”
—  Parents become anxious about transferring the “locus of
control”
—  Not transferring = hardships to developing independence.
—  Dealing with your own fears will have long-term benefits
—  Build strategies for your own support
—  Share concerns with other parents to normalize
experiences
¡
¡
¡
Stay healthy and happy: eating, drinking, resting, exercising
Develop a new hobby or interest/ invest in their sibling(s) still at home
Seek counseling if needed
Final Thought…
…Everything will be okay
Dublin Counseling
Center
299 Cramer Creek Ct
Dublin, OH 43017
614-889-5722
Northwest Counseling
Services
1560 Fishinger Rd
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
614-457-7876
For more information on school/community based prevention
services contact:
Carla Lemon, MS, LPC
Coaching For College Success Program Coordinator
coachingsuccess@syntero.org
coachingforcollegesucces.com
Resources
—  Coaching for College Success Syntero
Coachingforcollegesuccess.com
299 Cramer Creek
Dublin, Ohio 43017
—  Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities
165 W. Center Street, Suite 302
3rd Floor, Chase Bank Building
Marion, OH 43302-3741
(800) 374-2806
For Parents ext 20, Martha Lause
ocecd@ocecd.org
http://www.ocecd.org
—  Going to College: A resource for teens with Disabilities
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
http://www.going-to-college.org/
Book References
—  Kadison, R. & Foy-Digeronimo, T.( 2004). College of the overwhelmed:
the campus mental health crisis and what to do about it. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
—  Reynolds, A.(2009). Helping college students: developing essential for
student affairs practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Website References
—  http://college.usatoday.com/2012/10/11/opinion-why-social-media-is—
—
—
—
—
—
—
destroying-our-social-skills
http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/top-5-mental-healthproblems-facing-college-students/
http://www.childmind.org/en/posts/articles/2015-3-17-managingmedication-college
http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2014/09/70-percent-of-studentschange-major-after-enrollment-study-finds/
http://www.going-to-college.org/myplace/plan.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-to-improveimpulse-control-for-more-success-with-simple-tips.html\
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/childlearning-disabilities/executive-functioning-issues/4-ways-executivefunctioning-issues-can-affect-your-childs-social-life
http://www.uwsuper.edu/fye/parents/upload/Letting-GoFLSouthern.pdf