Transition Planning

What do we mean by “transition”?

Big transitions are changes that happen over long periods of time, or are big in scale, such as the move from preschool to elementary school-based services or from high school to community-based services. Moving from one city or state to another can also be a big change.

While the details of each transition is different, the basic process to prepare for each one is similar.

Planning a transition

The core components to consider when planning for large-scale transitions are:

a place to live
transportation
work and adult education
healthcare and finances
family and friends
recreation and leisure
self-advocacy

Things transition planning can help with:

introducing family and student to the adult service system
determining the support needed by the student to live, work, and recreate in the community as an adult
identifying adult service system gaps, enabling transition the team to advocate for appropriate services
providing information to adult service providers about individual needs
providing information critical to determining appropriate IEP goals

Unsure about the meaning of a word or acronym?

When we’re talking about autism, we use a lot of different terms and acronyms. If you aren’t sure about one of them...

Look it up in our glossary

Resources

The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University: Secondary Transition: Student-Centered Transition Planning
This module will help users to better understand the benefits of student-centered transition planning, identify ways to involve students in collecting assessment information and developing goals, and be able to prepare students to actively participate in their own IEP meetings (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Organization for Autism Research: A Guide for Transition to Adulthood (2021)
Adulthood represents a time in one’s life where there are increased levels of independence, choice, and personal control. These are all qualities that can and should be part of any autistic adult’s life. For many young autistic people and their families, the transition to adulthood is a daunting one, marked by significant changes in available services. Proper planning can ease this difficult transition, however, and ensure that all autistic individuals build the skills and establish the supports that will allow them to take advantage of all that adulthood has to offer.
OCALI: Transition to Adulthood Guidelines
The OCALI Guidelines for Transition will help the user understand these challenges and raise awareness of these important considerations.
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. (2003). A Family Guide to Transitions Planning.
This guide for parents and caregivers thoroughly describes the transition process from youth to adulthood, highlights elements of effective transition plans, and offers tips on strategies, activities, and experiences. Easy to read, the 57-page guide also provides a glossary and list of resources available across the state.
The Adolescent Health Transition Project, Washington State Department of Health/Children with Special Health Care Needs Program. (2012). Washington State Adolescent Transition Resource Notebook.
At almost 400 pages long, this notebook for families, educators, and healthcare providers provides information on almost every aspect of transitions from adolescence to adulthood. Although much of the information is specific to students in Washington state, there are many tools and checklists that are helpful to families in any location. These tools include questions to consider when considering housing, transportation, and health, skills rubrics, and a sample transition timeline.

Administration for Community Living: Resources for Youth with Autism Transitioning to Adulthood
Wheeler, M. (2008). Indiana Centers for Independent Living.
This brief article describes the function and services provided by the nine independent living centers in Indiana. Contact information for each of the Centers is included, as well as links to other resources that may be helpful.

DOL.gov. (nd). This website includes information about transportation resources for each state, including Indiana. The link provided above directs users to a listing of several resources and websites that have information about services available for specific areas across the state as well as the Indiana 2-1-1 phone number that provides information on a variety of services, including transportation.
American Public Transportation Association. (2003). Indiana Transit Links.
This site lists transit agencies for specific cities or metropolitan areas, as well as providing a list of transit agencies by county. The information provided is simply a link to that agency’s website.

Transition Planning

What do we mean by “transition”?

Planning a transition

Unsure about the meaning of a word or acronym?

Resources

Planning tools, timelines, and general information on transitions

A place to live

Transportation

HANDS in Autism® resources and social media channels