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4853 Galaxy Parkway, Suite A
Warrensville Heights, OH 44128

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Home About Us Blog Helpdesk - 5 Must-Use Resources for Your Child's Transition to Adulthood

Helpdesk - 5 Must-Use Resources for Your Child's Transition to Adulthood

Posted on 03/05/19 in Transition to Adulthood by Beth Thompson

Transition planning should ideally be taking place throughout a student's entire career. The more time dedicated to mapping for the future and collecting information about resources here and there, the better! However, a more formal, structured plan should be crafted by an IEP team when your student turns 14. This team should focus on the needs and strengths of the child as they think of what the possible long-term outcomes will be post-graduation.

Family members and the students themselves are critical members of the team and should help guide the future planning statements based on their own values, preferences and challenges.

Not sure how to start or continue your transition planning? Milestones Autism Resources staff suggest exploring the resources below regardless of where you are in your journey to see how they might be able to connect you to new information and help you develop the right path forward.

Ohio Employment First - Ohio is an employment-first state. That means every student with a disability has the right to be considered for employment in their future. The Ohio Employment First website has a chart on how to use backwards planning to develop your transition goals towards employment. Backwards planing allows the IEP team to start with the ultimate goal for the student, then work backwards in defining what skills need to be taught and mastered.

Interactive Autism Network (IAN) - Become familiar with the basics of transition planning and the research behind it! Making a transition plan based on evidence-based interventions and known risk factors for adults with ASD will likely improve the outcomes for the student. IAN's mission is to connect the autism community with the research to support appropriate interventions. This can be helpful when tackling something as large and daunting as transition planning - let the experts guide you!

Autistic Self Advocacy Network - It's all about the student with autism, so make them a part of the planning team! Use the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's 'Roadmap to Transition: A Handbook for Autistic Youth Transitioning to Adulthood'. This plain language handbook was created to help young people with ASD understand and take an active role in the creation of their transition plan.

Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI) - Use OCALI's Transition to Adulthood Guidelines to learn more about effective transition planning and to get access to dozens of free, age-appropriate transition assessments (AATAs). AATAs should help your IEP team define goals for the student and make a structured plan for post graduation.

For our local folks! - Cuyahoga County Transition Expo, April 27, Brecksville, Ohio - Join Milestones at the 2019 Cuyahoga County Transition Expo to meet more than 70+ vendors and hear from experts in the field as well as youth transitioning into adulthood. Register here or contact transitionexpocuyahoga@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Looking for more resources for the transition to adulthood? Give the Milestones free autism Helpdesk a call at 216.464.7600 ext. 200 for individualized guidance and vetted supports.

Milestones Program Director Beth Thompson, MSSA, LSW, oversees programmatic services for Milestones including the Helpdesk and consultation and training for businesses, providers, families and individuals. She conducts training throughout the community from hospitals to schools to places of employment. She serves on the Cuyahoga Council for Persons with Disabilities which oversees all services and programs that impact persons with disabilities in Cuyahoga County. Beth has a Masters in Social Science Administration from Case Western Reserve University. With 11 years of experience working with young adults with autism, Beth is passionate about helping teens and adults with autism fulfill their unique potential.

bthompson@milestones.org
216.464.7600 ext 108

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Need assistance? Let Milestones be your local guide.

Unsure of where to start? Contact our free Helpdesk with your questions, and we will do the research for you!

Visit milestones.org/helpdesk and complete an intake form.