GMT20230522-162757_Recording_640x360

Mon, May 22, 2023 1:27PM
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SUMMARY KEYWORDS
student, transition, support, elementary school, special education, child, school, ensure, iep, parent, accommodations, starts, staff, talk, older, considerations, iep team, encourage, services, post

00:03
Transitions are really hard as a mom of three. I know that, from kindergarten to middle schoolto high school, and even in my family, we are headed to college in the fall. That is what we're talking about today, lining up transitions for students to ensure that in your world of specialeducation and school support that your kiddo has everything that they need to be successful.Welcome to the special education strategists podcast where we provide valuable informationand practical tips for parents navigating the world of Special Education. I am your host, Wendy Taylor. Today we're discussing an important topic, transition considerations for older studentsin preschool under IDE, a Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and special education.We're gonna dive right in the first part, I'm going to talk about transition considerations forolder students, I'm going to give you 14 tips. All right, so hang tight. So parents, you've guysgot to plan ahead and consider all the different aspects when it comes to transitioning. These considerations are going to offer you a comprehensive roadmap to support your older childrenwith disabilities during this crucial and critical transition phase. So here are some key points to remember. Individualized transition plan, I want you to work closely with the school's SpecialEducation team to develop an individualized transition plan. This is going to outline goals,services supports necessary for students successful transition to adulthood. And this starts pretty early. When we think about transition. When we think about transition, I want you guys to think about that parent input statement.
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I want you to think about the parent input statement. And I know I first just preface this thatwe're going to talk about older students first, but let's just back it up a second, when we talkabout that parent input statement, I want you to think about your student and six months, oneyear, three years and five years. Nothing, of course is set in stone. We know this as parents, we know this as professionals. But what I want to encourage you as a parent is to think about notonly submitting that parent input statement for that IEP cycle, which is that year timeframe.But really start thinking about where do you see your child? And where does your child seeyour child, right? So that's really important to think about. So when you've started to havethese thoughts in your head, have these conversations with your IEP team, then seamlesslythis individualized transition plan can start to take shape for your older students, becauseyou've already asked the questions you've already put forth that information, the IEP, the goalsthat you and your family, your student need and want to be for that future education,employment and independence in the future. And that way, you can start accessing services as early as possible. And you can start to get on list. Sometimes when we're talking abouttransition, we're talking about services outside of the realm of a school, you want to you mayneed to be on a list because weights can be quite long. Second thing I want to talk about is vocational skills development. I want you to emphasize vocational skills development duringhigh school years, encourage participation and work based learning experiences, vocationaltraining programs, internships, to build practical skills for future and employment. Ask yourschool district, ask your IEP team who the coordinator is for the vocational component so thatyou can start having these conversations again early rather than later and start making thenecessary plans. If post secondary is an option, I want you to research and exploreopportunities for post secondary education or specialized training programs that cater to yourstudents interests and abilities and ensure that when you're researching if you're doing postsecondary education, talk to their their department in terms of what does that look like for achild with the specific gaps that your child is experiencing your student is experiencing toensure that that college can really truly support your child's learning needs? And that is reallyimportant to know to ask the specific question questions, because colleges will say yes, wesupport a student but really asked us specific questions that are aligned with your studentsneeds. Let's talk about independent living skills. I want you to help your student developessential independent living skills such as hygiene, managing money, meal planning, andpreparation, transportation, public transportation, how to access that if you're in an area thatyou have access to public transportation, housekeeping skills, all of those things. Again, start early. I know we're talking about our older students, but talk about those independent livingskills, incorporate them into your child, your students, daily, weekly, whatever that may be, sothat they can start to build their role in their capacity with these skills, self advocacy, wealways want to encourage self efficacy involve your student as much as possible in their IEPprocess, that decision making process, promoting their ability to express their needs andpreferences. If your student has a question, and they're nervous
and uncertain, to ask theirteacher, start young, you can help them formulate an email, how to write that email, how tostart that conversation. So really empowering your student to self advocate for themselves,that they can be better prepared for lifelong learning. And then we're gonna talk about personcentered planning, ensure that transition planning focuses on your student's unique strengths,and interests and goals. So it's important to involve, again, your student in the process,consider their input when setting goals and determining the necessary support. Again, I knowI'm sounding like a broken record, but start early as much as they can give input of what workswell for them in a classroom, what doesn't work well, that way we can start thinking about whatmay work well on a job, what may work well up post secondary institutions, what may workwell, with independent learning and living. So kind of really thinking ahead again, that six months, one year, three years, five years. Okay, number seven, we're talking about community connections. You want to help your student establish connections within the community thatalign with their interests, and career aspirations. So it can involve volunteering, participatingcommunity organizations, or clubs, attending career fairs network of them's thinking aboutwhat they're interested in. Facebook has a lot of groups, a lot of parenting groups out there, alot of community groups, so you can really try to figure out and hone in the community thatbest suits your students interest in needs. Exploring assess potential benefits of assistivetechnology that can enhance your child's independence and productivity and various aspects oflife, including that education, that employment and that daily living skills. And think about those post education options, research and visit post secondary education institutions that offerprograms for students with disability and understand that their admission requirementsavailable supports and accommodations to make an informed decision. So back to asking those questions. Get a feel for the community that's on that campus to ensure that it's going to be agood not only learning fit for your student, but also their living there, so make sure that theyhave access to what they need to be successful and independent living. Financial Planning.

Start considering financial planning early on investigate potential funding sources, scholarships,grants that can help support your students transition and any ongoing needs that they mighthave. In the event that you need guardianship or decision making, depending on your student'slevel of independence, and may be necessary to explore guardianship or supportive decisionmaking options as they reach adulthood. So always seek a legal advice to understand the process and make informed decisions. If you have a student that's about to turn 18 is very critical. Even in their medical world, once they turn 18 They're considered that an adult andphysicians will not include you. So make sure that you have the proper document that you canif you need to be included in medical conversations if you need to be included in the financialpart of it, that you have the proper decision making documentations outlined all right in thehomestretch, we have three more for older kids. Think about employment opportunities,collaborate with the vocational rehabilitation agencies, job placement services and DisabilityServices. service organizations to identify employment opportunities, internships or printapprenticeships suitable for your students skills and interests. If you're not sure where to start,I would start by asking your case manager of the of your child or your students IEP, your IEPteam, you can call the district they will have somebody that is in charge with vocationalrehabilitation and job placement services for that school district that you can connect with.Have a meeting, ask questions to ensure that you're really setting up your student for success.Think about health and health care transitions, ensure a smooth transition of health care providers and services help your child understand their medical needs, medicationmanagement, and the importance of taking responsibility of their health. This is really criticaland something that we don't often think about, especially for aligning ourselves withinformation at school and IEP s. But if your student takes a medication on a daily basis, startnow as soon as you are comfortable with getting them in that routine of them taking thatmedication, understanding how to fulfill a person or fill a prescription, how to ask for that refill,how to call and make an appointment, you can practice doing that calling and making adoctor's appointment. So all of these things are going to be thought of when we talk abouttransition with our older students. Last but certainly not least, we want the emotional and social support. So we want to recognize the emotional challenges that may arise during the transition period. You want to encourage your student to seek emotional support from peers, mentors,support groups, catering to individuals that have similar needs as your child, your student.
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One quick tip, if your student is going off to college, make sure they know where counseling isprior to like when you're moving in that week, make sure they actually know where thatbuilding is. Because when you're in a crisis, that is not the time to learn, and have to learnwhere to find and where to go. So prior to that crisis, heaven forbid, that does not happen. But it's as you want to make sure that your student knows where to go when they feel comfortablemaking an appointment and reaching out. So we're going to shift our focus to transitionconsiderations for our younger students or preschool students that are entering elementaryschool. So starting Elementary School is a significant milestone considerations provide parentswith a comprehensive approach to facilitate a smooth transition for their preschoolers. So let's again, we're going to 14 tips. So let's go through them. We want to communicate with the school staff. We want to establish open lines of communication with the elementary school andspecial education team. You want to share information about your child's needs, strengths and any specific concerns. You can really do that on a one sheeter with a picture of your kid, this ismy student, this is what they liked. This is what they don't like. Here's a unique thing aboutthem, whatever you want to share, and also send him an email and let people know how andthe best way to reach you. So I would send him an email, not home an email, I would send an email to your students, new teachers. And I know you're thinking, Wendy, you're recording this at the end of the school year. I just may correct but think ahead. So you want to think about when August's and staff is coming back. What do you want to tell that staff? How can they geta hold of you? Can they text you? Can they email you? Can they call you? What is the best wayand you're going to repeat that every year even though if you think you're in your elementaryschool, and they all know your sweet baby, just repeat that email. So each year it refreshesthat staffs mind of what the strengths what the gaps with the gains are of your individualstudent and how to best support them. transition meetings. So I want you to attend transitionmeetings to discuss your child's IEP goals, services and any modifications needed for asuccessful transition to a new school environment. It can be nerve racking for you as a parent, for our students. So we want to make sure that we are setting up for success that we know thebuilding, see if you can get a tour of the building. And so really, you're starting to feelcomfortable I want you to take go on the familiarization visits arrange to visit the new schoolbefore the official transition to help your child become familiar with the surroundings, meet theteachers and explore the classrooms. I would even say that if you have an anxious student or astudent that's apprehensive about transitions, you can drive by the school as many times asyou want You can sit in front in the school parking lot and eat your lunch while you're looking atthe building. So the student starts to visualize themselves getting out of the car, walking intothe building, see if you can play on that playground see if you can have a little play group ofstudents that will be entering that same year with your students get together on thatplayground. So things start to become familiar for your student that is transitioning intocollaboration with preschool providers. So encourage that collaboration between the preschooland the elementary school providers to ensure a seamless transmit, transition and continuity ofservice. That social skills development I want you to help your students develop social skills byorganizing playdates with future classmates joining community based programs that promoteinteraction with peers, so that they can start to see familiar faces and become morecomfortable collaboration with.

16:07
Alright, here we go. individualized education plans. I want you before the transition review andupdate your child's IEP to ensure that it aligns with the goals and services appropriate for thatelementary school setting. Make sure the new IEP reflects the specific needs and supportsrequired for your child's successful transition. Think about social stories visual supports, usesocial stories and visuals as supports to prepare your child for the upcoming changes. And these tools can help them understand what to expect in the new school environment such as anew routine expectation and faces that they're going to encounter. Communication with elementary school staff initiate that communication with the elementary school staff, includingspecial education team, the principal, the classroom teacher, the guidance counselor, sharethat information about your child's strengths, areas of needs. Any specific accommodations and modifications that have been helpful in the past. This collaboration will help the school staffbetter understand and support your students unique needs, transition meetings and visits.Again, anytime a transition meeting happens or it's organized by the elementary school todiscuss your kiddos needs and the supports they require. Make sure you can be there or get a time where you it works best for you. Additionally, you want to arrange visits to the new schoolthat allow your kiddo to explore that classroom, meet their teacher become familiar with theoverall environment. Some students do better if they can meet the teacher and see thatclassroom before some schools have what they call Sneak Peek where you can go in you meetyour teacher for the first time and then within the next week or a couple of days or somethingthen school starts sometimes, you know your kiddo best in may work better if they can go in before other students are there so it's a little quiet, they can kind of get the lay of the land andthen come back again for the sneak peek when their classmates potential classmates newclassmates will be there. Any Peer Connections foster opportunities for your child to interactwith potential classmates before the transition, organised playdates attend community eventsparticipate in programs where your child can meet and engage with their future friends and peers. These connections always can help ease that anxiety and really promote that inclusionof and social inclusion I should say. If there's any sensory considerations discussed yourstudent's sensory needs with the school staff share strategies or accommodations that havebeen helpful in the past to ensure a supportive sensory environment is provided. Last two that we're going to talk about, I want you to think about transition assessments request transitionassessments to evaluate your student's current skills and abilities. As they prepare for elementary school. These assessments can inform the development of appropriate supportsand accommodations within that new school setting, and parent education and support I wantyou to seek out educational opportunities and support groups focused on transitioning toelementary school, connect with other parents who have gone through similar experience andcan provide that valuable inside tips and emotional support. That wraps up our discussion ontransition considerations for both preschoolers and our older students under special educationand ide a. I hope you found this information valuable. Join me next time on the special edstrategist as we continue to explore important topics in special education. Again, I'm your hostWendy Taylor, and I'm obsessed with helping families and professionals spiritual learning gaps,access special education services and build kickball IEPs thank you again for strategizing withme and spending your precious time listening. If you've loved what you've heard, share this episode with a friend. Give us a like and a follow. Looking for free tips not sure where to startlearning essentials edu.com You can take our free quiz. It gives you that starting point for help.And if you need more specialized educational support, we got you we're here we provideindividualized and systematic approach to supporting students with various learning needs anddifferences through academic coaching, educational therapy and brain camp, our executivefunction support model. I hope this helps make it a great day. Bye for now