Answers to Questions on Transition Services - Paper Example

What are transition services?

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Transition services are those programs that are established to facilitate and prepare students with disabilities in their procedure of moving from school to the life after school. These activities are tailor-made for the students with disabilities and are based on their specific areas of preferences, needs as well as interests. These activities should be developed according to childs strengths and weaknesses and should be friendly activities that can help them to have a smooth transition. These activities should be well coordinated among the people involved in the lives of the child with a disability.

The transitional services should foster on establishing the improvement of the childs performance both in academics as well as the functional aspect of their lives. Children with disability, upon being provided with an adequate transitional planning as well as educational programs, they tend to get employment. They not only get good job opportunities but also maintain their work without any particular special support and in most cases there are minor alterations of the work environments. Therefore, these services are very imperative in their lives.

What areas are included in the transition planning?

The areas covered in the transition planning entails Educational or Training, employment or job areas, independent living, Community experience, functional vocational training, instructions, related services, Acquisition of daily life skills.

There should be in the first place, the development of goals that one intend ti do when he becomes an adult and out of school. These goals should be viewed in the long term and also short term goals. The long-term goals are those that the child intends to pursue after school like seeking for further learning in colleges, what type of work one intends to do.

The short term goals on the other hand, seek to equip the child with a vision of accomplishing something in a year or less. The short term goals help meet the long term goals as well as help the child stay in focus and maintain his dreams alive as he moves through the transition. Some of these goals entail coming up with job application procedures, sending resume to potential employers, application for financial aid from charitable organizations online, developing a budget and so on.

At what age should transition Planning Begin?

The transition plans are coordinated programs that are established in the childs Individualized Education Plan (IEP). It is prudent that the youths with disabilities of ages sixteen years to twenty-one years (16 21) should have transitional elements in their Individualized Education Plans. However, planning is recommended to be started at a bit earlier age to that age group of 16 21. This implies that the planning phase should begin before the student turns 16 officially. It should be individualized and entail the opportunities of developing community skillset as well as functional skills from the onset. The transition team has an obligation of identifying the appropriate age and measurable goals for the transition. Once they have identified the age, they tend to assess the students capability in both areas of development to ensure sustainability.

How can students with disabilities be taught self-advocacy?

Self-advocacy is the procedure of telling the IEP team what one needs to do and what he may need to achieve the same. The students should be developed psychologically to have room to present his or her preferences. Students have various forms of disabilities, some are blind, and others are deaf and so on. This is why some will be trained and allowed to use pictures, videos, drawings and other forms of technology to express their needs. The student is taught how to state their preferences using the communication channels that is user-friendly to them.

In the entire process of transition, the students should be considered the most important people involved in the process. Their full participation in the IEP transition team is what determines their successful moving from childhood transition to adult living. They should, therefore, be engaged in a participatory approach exercise whereby they are asked to attend meetings on matters of transition. The planning process should proceed with them as they offer the guidance and resourceful information during the entire process.

How Can Family Members be Encouraged to be Actively Involved in Each Area of Transition?

Family members especially parents are the one who knows their childs ability better than anyone in the transition process. They are encouraged to be in the entire process of transition as they offer valuable information which in the long run has an imperial significant in the development of the transitional plan of their children.

The initial positive professional initiations are fundamental in the process as well as continuous follow ups with parents enhances family members participation and willingness to deliver relevant information to school-based expertise which includes in the establishing of the IEPs for students.

There should be initial contacts between school professionals and family members to set the rapport and focus on securing attitudinal information that is required in serving the students right. School professionals conduct crucial meetings and interviews with family members to obtain information that they definitely would not acquire elsewhere. The family member should feel part of their childs transition, and this can be achieved by fully engaging them in various stages of this important exercise.