Best Practices in
Transition: Critical
Components Related to
Educating Adolescents
With Autism
Brandee El-Attar, M.S., Kate Dickey, M.S.
Devereux CARES Consultants
Programming for Adolescents

What is adolescence?
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Why is this a difficult period to plan for with students
with ASD?
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What are our obligations as educators?
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What critical components are necessary to ensure
success?
Legal requirements

IDEA 2004 states that transition services must:
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Begin no later than the first IEP to be in effect
when the student is 16 and updated annually
thereafter (PA requires from age 14)
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Be provided until
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The student turns 21, or
The student graduates from high school with a regular
diploma
IEP requirements
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Appropriate measurable postsecondary goals
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Based on age appropriate transition assessments
related to training, education, employment, and,
where appropriate, independent living skills
Transition services (including courses of
study) needed to assist the student in reaching
those goals
What are we planning for?
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Key Transition Areas:
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Employment
Postsecondary education
Living arrangements
Community participation
Community mobility
Financial independence
Recreation and leisure
Friendships and relationships
Employment
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Competitive employment
Supported employment
Self-employment
Rehabilitation facility or workshop
Day program, sheltered workshop, or activity
center
Postsecondary education
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Four-year college or university
Community college
Trade or business schools
Vocational-technical schools
Specialized training in business and industry
Continuing adult education
Living arrangements
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Individualized housing supports:
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Providing support services to people living in their
own apartments
Matching individuals with disabilities to roommates
without disabilities or with families that may be
compensated for providing needed assistance
Supplying in-home supports to people with disabilities
and their families
Assisting people with disabilities to become
homeowners
Best Practices in Transition:
Critical Components
•
Create a student-centered transition plan (i.e.,PCFP)
•
Cultivate student involvement and self-determination
•
Align the curriculum with visions for post school life, the
student’s transition plan, and the general education curriculum
•
Provide students with paid and actual work experiences while
still in school
•
Establish interagency collaboration with adult service
providers, employers, and post-secondary institutions
•
Foster family involvement in the transition planning process
Best Practices In Transition: Critical
Components

Create a student-centered transition plan
Why?
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Keeps the process focused on student preferences
Key elements
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Use person-centered futures planning to create a
vision
Transition plan drives the IEP – not an add on
Revise plan annually to reflect changing needs and
goals
Supporting Families and Students Through
Person-Centered Futures Planning

Person-centered futures planning (PCFP) is
an ongoing process that brings together a
group of committed individuals to help an
individual with special needs plan and create
a life that is personally fulfilling and
productive

This process can start at any time, but should
begin minimally at 14 years
Supporting Families and Students
Through Person-Centered Futures
Planning

The initial PCFP meeting at CARES typically
takes two to three hours; subsequent annual
meetings usually last between one and two
hours
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We try to have this meeting about one month
before the IEP; we have found that this
process can help plan transition IEPs
Supporting Families and Students Through
Person-Centered Futures Planning
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Meeting outcomes will also include:
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A description of medical and physical needs
The student’s and family’s vision for post-21 living,
employment, social interactions, and community
inclusion
A description of the student’s preferences and
strengths; and needed supports
Goals and objectives for employment education
An action plan for the upcoming year
See our wiki for our format…
www.autismhandbook.org
Best Practices in Transition: Critical
Components
Cultivate student involvement and selfdetermination
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Why?
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Develops self-advocacy and self-determination
Enhances quality of life
Keeps plan focused on student preferences
Key elements:
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Involve student in IEP/transition planning
Teach self-determination skills directly
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Student-led IEP meetings or increase participation in IEP meetings
Teach self-advocacy
Infuse instruction throughout the day
Best Practices in Transition: Critical
Components
Align the curriculum with visions for post school life
AND
Align the student’s transition plan with the general
education curriculum

Why?
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Curriculum during transition years must prepare
students for all aspects of adult living
At the same time, if transition plan is linked to general
education:
–
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More likely to graduate with regular diploma
More likely to have continued inclusion with same-age
peers without disabilities
Best Practices in Transition: Critical
Components
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Key elements of Curriculum:
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Balance between high academic expectations while
addressing functional needs
Utilize existing general education classes and services (e.g.,
vocational education)
Community-based instruction for learning functional skills
(in real-life settings)
College campus –based or community-based programs for
providing services to students age 18-21
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Age appropriate setting
Ongoing inclusion with same-age peers
Opportunities for work experiences and postsecondary
education with support
See www.thinkcollege.net
Best Practices in Transition: Critical
Components

Establish interagency collaboration with adult
service providers, employers, and post-secondary
institutions
Why?
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Fosters seamless transition to adult life
Creates opportunities for post school success
Key elements:
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Invite agency representatives to IEP/transition meetings
Form school-agency partnerships and pool resources
Best Practices in Transition: Critical
Components
Provide students with paid and actual work
experiences while still in school
 Why?
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Results in immediate and long-term post school
employment
Key elements:
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Real life experiences through
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Internships
School sponsored part-time jobs
Vocational education
Best Practices in Transition: Critical
Components
Foster family involvement in the transition planning
process
 Why?
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Families serve as the bridge to adult life
Families can assist the student in voicing preferences and
goals for adult life
Key elements:
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Provide critical information to families
Establish partnership in the planning process
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Use person-centered planning
Respect family values and culture
Developing Competencies for
Adulthood: From Planning to
Practice
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Assessment strategies
Instructional methods and activities to promote
independence
Program components to optimize student
growth
General Assessment and Program
Planning
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Thorough assessment provides information
that can be used for:
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Diagnosis/verification (and subsequent special
education eligibility decisions)
Educational programming/intervention planning
(i.e., strengths and needs)
Present levels of performance/measurement of
progress
Common Areas of Skill Assessment Across
Most Young Students With Autism
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Communication skills
Social skills
Play skills
Academic
Motor skills
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Functional Communication
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Expressive
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Requesting reinforcers
Requesting assistance
Requesting breaks
Requesting clarification
Requesting bathroom
Affirmation, rejection, and protestation
Commenting (responsive and spontaneous)
Answering and asking questions
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Receptive
Understanding verbal directions with
gestures and/or contextual cues
 Understanding verbal directions without
gestures and/or contextual cues
 Following pictorial and/or written directions
and schedules
 Waiting
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Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Social Skills
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Initiating and responding to greetings
Gaining attention appropriately
Avoiding violation of others’ personal space
Accepting feedback and/or correction
Using “please” and “thank you”
Responding to social questions
Refraining from disruptive behaviors
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Functional Academics
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Reading
Money Handling (understanding the exchange
of money to purchase, using a debit card, using
a wallet)
Writing (name, notes/letters)
Math Concepts (understanding concepts of
“more or less,” using a calculator, reading a
clock and manage time)
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Self-Care
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Feeding
Independent Toileting and Self-Care Routines
Consistently Washing Hands
Dressing Skills
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Domestic Skills
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Simple Food Preparation
Cleaning Skills
Taking Care of Clothing
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Recreation and Leisure
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Solitary Activities
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TV, Music, Computer, Books and Magazines, Electronic
Games, Art, Puzzles, Sports and Exercise, and so on
Group Activities
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Table-Top (cards, games, art)
Gross Motor (walks, sports, games)
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Community
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General Skills (waiting, using transportation)
Single-Item Purchases
Multi-Item Purchases
Food Related Activities
Recreational Activities
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Health and Safety
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Refraining from dangerous behaviors
Communicating effectively when feeling ill
Cooperating with medical interventions and
personnel
Participating in regular exercise routines
Acting upon sexual feelings appropriately
A Closer look at Human Sexuality
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Ignoring it will not help!
Discrepancies exist between emotional, social,
and cognitive abilities AND physical and sexual
development
Devereux’s guiding philosophies:
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All individuals will have sexual feelings as they progress
through adolescence and/or adulthood
All individuals should be allowed to express their sexuality
in appropriate ways, and receive guidance when needed
Parents are the best teachers for these skills, but their
efforts should be supported by educators
A Closer Look at Human Sexuality
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Some concepts to teach– always address the who, when,
and wheres
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Public versus private
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Dating and related social behavior
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Touching (greetings, gaining attention, showing affection)
Conversations
Dressing/undressing and nudity
Adolescents- Introducing yourself, maintaining conversations, reading
social cues, using manners
Young adults- asking someone out on a date, accepting rejection, dating
behavior, and so on
Self-pleasuring when appropriate
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Timing of instruction depends upon the student in conjunction with their
family
Time and place considerations
Safe and effective techniques
Consider teaching a routine
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Vocational
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Office/Clerical Work
Janitorial
Food Services
Horticultural/Lawn Maintenance
Customer Service
Stocking
Laundry
Industrial
Performance Parameters (independence, duration,
accuracy, generalization, and rate)
Additional Areas of Emphasis for
Adolescents With Autism
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Beginning of Self-Awareness and
Determination
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Making choices
Assessing their own appearance and performance
Managing reinforcement/reward systems
Assessing and communicating preferences
Participating in meetings
Assessment and Program
Planning
Assessment and program planning must also take
into account Quality of Life (QoL)
considerations
QoL is a term used to describe an individual's
satisfaction with his or her life and general
sense of well-being. It is often measured as
physical, psychological and social well-being.
Variables that Affect QoL
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Physical well being/health
Social connectedness with family, friends, and coworkers
Control and choice with variables that impact your
life/self-determination
Satisfaction with employment or school,
residential living, and community inclusion
Levels of independence across environments
Ability to communicate effectively with others
Level of contact with reinforcers
Evidence-based Ways to Increase QoL
(Dennis Reid, 2010)
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We can maintain “happiness” and enhance
personal growth by:
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Providing frequent choice opportunities
Assessing preferences and using preference-based
teaching procedures
Eliminating and/or modifying highly undesirable
tasks and routines
Focus Upon Quality of Life
Indicators
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Choices and control
Opportunities to participate in
preferred activities
Community inclusion
Peer relationships
Relationships with family
members
Increased independence
across settings
Expressive and receptive
communication
Are they happy most of the
time?
Important Overarching
Considerations
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Assess Specific Skills
Describe Learning Style
Identify Student Preferences
Describe Strengths and Needs
Solicit Family Input
Planning an Educational Program
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What is Functional?
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If a student does not perform the task, will
someone else have to do it?
Is it immediately needed?
Is it frequently needed?
Is it needed across settings and situations?
Is it age-appropriate?
Will it lead to greater independence?
Will it enhance the student’s quality of life?
Planning an Educational Program
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What are the most important skills to target?
What teaching strategies will be utilized?
What are the family’s needs and preferences?
How will the family be involved?
What are the least restrictive effective learning
environments?
How much instructional time will be needed?
Effective Instructional Strategies
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Include components of Applied Behavior Analysis
(ABA) strategies
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Empirically-supported interventions
Reinforcement systems
Prompting procedures
Various lesson formats (incidental teaching, natural
environment teaching, discrete trial, shaping, chaining,
whole or partial task presentation)
Error correction strategies
Incorporate choice conditions and preferences as much as
possible
Ongoing progress monitoring
Positive Behavioral Support
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Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and
Positive Behavior Support Plans (PSBP)
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FBAs are implemented to determine the function or
functions of undesirable behaviors.
A PBSP is developed based directly upon the outcomes of
the FBA with input from both educational staff and families
Among other components, the written PBSP contains a
description of antecedent modifications, functionally
equivalent alternative responses (and teaching strategies),
differential reinforcement systems, and consequences
designed to eliminate or minimize reinforcement after
undesirable responses
Objective data is used to determine program effectiveness
and to guide modifications in the PBSP
Visual Enhancement Strategies
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Why Use Them?
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We all use visual supports everyday
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Daytimers and calendars
Post-it notes/lists/signs
Menus
Visual/written instructions
Placement of materials
Tables and graphs
Most individuals with an ASD are visual learners
Visual Enhancement StrategiesVisual Schedules
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Visual Schedules can be used to:
 provide information on the sequence of
activities
 teach new skills and routines
 enhance an individual’s independence
 incorporate choice conditions into a routine
 teach coping with changes in routines
Individual or Group SchedulePictures
Individual Schedule- Daytimers
Using Schedules to Mediate Choice
Conditions
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Recreation and leisure
Jobs/chores
Academic tasks
Social activities
Using a Schedule to Incorporate Choices
Visual Enhancement StrategiesVisual Reward Systems
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What am I working for?
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What do I need to do to get reinforced?
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When will I get reinforced?
Visual Enhancement StrategiesVisual Reward Menus
Visual Enhancement StrategiesVisual Reward Menus
Visual Enhancement StrategiesVisual Reward Systems- DRA
Visual Enhancement StrategiesVisual Reward Systems- DRA
Visual Enhancement StrategiesVisual Reward Systems DRO
Visual Enhancement StrategiesVisual Reward Systems DRL
Visual Enhancement StrategiesVisual Reward Systems- Contract
Teaching Social Skills Using Visual
Supports
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Social Stories
Comic Book Conversations
Videotaped Models
Visual Cues
Social Stories
Teaching Communication Skills Using
Visual Supports
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Requesting Help
Requesting a Break
Indicating Yes or NO
Waiting
Following Simple Directions
Examples of Visuals for Teaching
Communication
Visual Supports to Enhance
Independence in Task Completion
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Written instructions
Picture sequence books
Activity schedules
Secondary environmental cues
Job/chore boards
Visual timers
Check my work cards
Organize and label materials and make clear
boundaries for different areas in the environment
Visual Sequence Book
Labeled Work Bins
Community-Based Instruction
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What is CBI?
It’s a process that
provides frequent and
highly structured
learning opportunities
outside of an
individual’s classroom,
immediate work
environment, and home.
General Objectives of CBI
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Teach skills that are specific to community
settings (e.g., waiting in line at the grocery
store, ordering from a menu, and so on)
Generalize acquired skills to new
environments
Establish or maintain good behavior in new
(and usually less structured) settings
Increase an individual’s interactions with
typically developing individuals
Vocational Exploration
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Ongoing Assessment
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General strengths and needs
Specific vocational skills
Related critical skills (communication, social,
hygiene and appearance, behavioral)
Preferences
Situational assessments and time studies
Vocational Exploration
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Community-Based
Vocational Experiences
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Training Sites
Work Enclaves
Individual Work Sites
with Support
Competitive
Employment
Comprehensive Staff Training,
Support, and Supervision
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Pre-service and inservice training and
workshops
Use of individual performance checklists
Use of weekly classroom checklists
Ongoing supervisory feedback and
support
Regular team meetings
Family Inclusion and Support
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Partnerships among families and educators
are critical at the individual student and
program-level
IEP and Futures Planning Meeting
Program Planning Meetings and PTO
Educational Activities (such as tours of
other programs, seminars and workshops,
structured observations, home visits)
Family Education and Training Program
(PA Transition Grant 2009-10)
Family Inclusion and Support
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Facilitation of Linking Families to Appropriate
Agencies/Supports
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OMH/MR, OVR
Guardianship Issues
Estate Planning
Respite Services
Devereux CARES Transition Wiki
www.autismhandbook.org
Putting it all Together….

Successful Transition Means:
•
•
•
Planning for the student’s future in a way that is
meaningful to them (i.e.,PCFP)
Aligning the student’s vision for the future with
curriculum and school/ community based
opportunities to enhance skills
Focusing on skills for life: provide students with
paid and actual work experiences while still in
school
Putting it all Together….
•
Establishing interagency collaboration with
adult service providers, employers, and
post-secondary institutions early on
•
Fostering family involvement in the
transition planning process
•
Continually cultivate student involvement
and self-determination