Frequently Asked Questions
Good question! Everyone involved in the transition of a student should periodically ask themselves (and others on the team) this question. The only way to know the answer is to review with the team all the possibilities for the student and see if everyone on the team still agrees with what is happening and the outcomes projected. If your child does not have a transition plan and a transition team, you should ask the school to set up a transition meeting and identify the necessary team members.
Q: What should an IEP/Transition Meeting look like?
The time set for the Annual Review of your child's Individual Education Plan (IEP) is the logical time to begin transition planning. When your child reaches 14, or anytime thereafter, ask her/his teacher to make sure the IEP Annual Review is also a Transition Meeting. You, as the parent, can assist with this happening by making sure the teacher knows you expect to have transition planning included as a part of this meeting and by working with the teacher to identify all the people who need to be present. From 14 to 16 the student's transition planning would focus on what classes s/he needs to schedule in order to begin the transition process. At age 16 the transition process becomes one of identifying agencies and services which your child will need for support as they move into adulthood. All identified services and/or agencies should then be notified of your child's transition meeting and invited to be present to become part of the Transition Team.
Q: What are the adult services my child is entitled to?
There is no entitlement to any adult services; however, there are many services for which your son/daughter may be eligible. All adult services have eligibility requirements and the only way to know if your child qualifies is to apply and let the agency determine whether they are eligible. Even if your child qualifies for a service, this does not mean they will immediately receive that service. Many agencies have waiting lists for their services. Because the waiting lists can be very long, it is wise for parents to get their child on the waiting list for any service for which they qualify. If and when the service becomes available, a decision can be made as to whether your daughter/son still needs the service.
Q: How do I find out what is out there?
Ask questions! Go to meetings! Attend Resource Fairs! Read Resource Directories! Services and their providers change and the only way to keep up is to Get Connected! Your local Interagency Transition Team is your best resource for what is currently available.
Q: How do I meet other parents of children with disabilities?
A good starting place would be to contact your child's teacher and ask if s/he can put you in touch with the other parents in your child's class. Chances are, those parents are also in need of support and connection. Perhaps assist the teacher to plan a "family night" for the class at the school. Another way is to call any local agency serving people with disabilities (listed in the Interagency Team's Resource Directory) and ask if there is a parent support group which that agency sponsors. The local ARC is usually a good source for parent connections. Also, the Parent Education Center (PEAK) publishes a monthly calendar of events for parents. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) also sponsors several parent training and support groups.
Q: Why didn't I know about adult services earlier on?
Perhaps you were not connected to a source which could provide you with that information. Sometimes resources are mentioned by professionals in our children's lives but at the time parents are not able to hear it because of other issues they are dealing with. Families are often overwhelmed by the complexities of their child's needs and the lack of resources and find it hard to plan beyond the immediate future. As transition becomes more familiar to schools and to other service agencies, parents will be hearing more about making a long-term plan which will encompass services and resources beyond those currently needed by the student. Parents can help this happen by being well-informed themselves and asking the questions which help others working with their child to make a good plan for their child's future. The Denver Interagency Team is working to assist the schools and parents to keep informed of all services available to students with disabilities, no matter what their age.
Q: How assertive should a parent be to meet the needs of their child?
As assertive as you need to be to make sure your child's needs are being addressed. Note, however, that the word is assertive. It is important that parents prepare well for their child's IEP meetings and have a good idea of what they believe their child's strengths and needs for support are. Also, familiarize yourself with transition and transition planning. The better prepared you are, and the more knowledgeable about your child and her/his needs, as well as resources available, the more likely you are to get a good transition plan in place. Sometimes school staff may not be aware of the resources available and a parents' knowledge can be helpful. It is important for parents to consider themselves an equal member of their child's IEP/Transition Team and prepare accordingly. Another thing that parents can do to prepare for their child's meetings is to take along an advocate to help them keep on track and focused. Again, assertiveness is important, but caution is advised in getting into conflict with other team members. Try to present your ideas and suggestions in a friendly, but firm, manner, and offer ways your ideas can be incorporated into the IEP without major difficulty. Prepare! Ask question
Q: What are the guardianship issues I need to address?
This depends on the functioning level of your child and how competent you believe him/her to be in making decisions about her/his life. It is probably a good idea to go over the guardianship alternatives with someone knowledgeable about the options. The Guardianship Alliance can answer most questions, as can the local ARC and The Legal Center. The final decision on guardianship will be made by the court after a review of the child's situation. Parents need to know that because their child is disabled does not automatically make them the guardian.
Guardianship is an issue which should be reviewed/considered by every family before their child reaches 18. In Colorado, young people reach their majority at age 18, except in matters of education. The parents are still a part of the educational decisions until the child reaches 21. However, in all other areas: money management, legal issues, medical decisions, the student becomes an adult and is her/his own guardian at age 18, unless the family has applied for and been granted guardianship or power of attorney. It is also possible to have a conservatorship or limited guardianship which allows family members control over only certain portions of the person's decision making.
In addition to consideration of guardianship, it is wise for parents to be knowledgeable about estate planning. Because most of our children will be receiving some sort of benefit (SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare, etc.) it is critical that they not inherit money directly which would make them ineligible for those benefits to continue. Attorneys who are knowledgeable about estate planning and benefits can help you to set up a Special Needs Trust for your child.
A "Needs Based" approach is the goal for every student with special needs. There are many ways that state standards can be met while still making the adaptations and modifications the student needs. The state has developed an "Expanded Standards" menu for students with special needs which allows modifications/adaptations in the curriculum. In cases where there is disagreement about academics vs. a more functional approach, this conflict needs to be resolved by the staffing team based on the individual student's needs. The IEP must reflect the consensus of the staffing team and allows for 4 different courses of study as the criteria for earning a diploma: the regular education strand; completion of IEP goals; completion of a work/study course of study; or a combination of these. All students receive the same diploma and the transcript describes which course of study was completed.
Q: What should I expect in an IEP?
Your child's IEP is the plan for what that child is going to accomplish in the coming school year and how s/he is going to accomplish it. It also includes the criteria for evaluating whether or not the goal/objectives have been accomplished and who is responsible for making sure that it happens. It is vitally important that the IEP be well thought out, well written and that it be a collaborative effort between the family and the school staff. Goals and objectives should be written in a format that is easily understandable by anyone working with the student. Criteria for accomplishing the goal/objective should be written in a measurable format.
Q: What pre-employment/employment opportunities are available?
Beginning at age 14 the student's IEP should include the classes or experiences the student will need in order to advance toward his/her transition goals. At this age it may not be clear what the employment goal for the student is. However, there are general work requirements that should be a part of the student's plan for transition. These could be learning to focus on the task, asking for assistance when needed, learning to tell time, count money, ride a bus, as well as increasing the student's time on a task, speed of work, etc. Some of these skills can begin within the school setting or, in some cases, the student's entire class may go to a jobsite for a few hours a week.
At age 16 - 18 the student should be referred to DVR for eligibility and an assessment to see what skills and interests are the strongest for the student. At least by age 18 the student should have begun some job trials or situational assessments in real job environments to see what works.
Q: I need support at IEP meetings in knowing how to ask for what my child needs
There are many advocacy agencies and parent support groups who can provide parents with both training in writing a good IEP and going with the parent to the IEP meeting to assure that parents have input to the process. It is always a good idea to take someone with you as a support and to help you stay focused on the critical issues. IEP meetings can be a very emotional time for parents and thorough preparation prior to the meeting is essential. Parents should prepare well for attending the IEP meeting and should insist on being included as an equal partner in the process of developing the student's program.
Q: What do I do if my child is not successful in his/her job?
There are several things you can do. One is to meet with the child's teacher, work/study teacher, or the transition specialist to discuss what the issues may be. If the student is connected with DVR, the Counselor should also be involved in this meeting. If things are not working for the student, it is the responsibility of the school to address that issue and decide what can be done to improve the student's experiences.
Q: How do we use transition services around non-traditional employment?
Every student, beginning at age 14 must have a transition plan as a part of his/her IEP. The transition goals must address the employment needs of the student. This is the time for the family to have input to what kind of job the student really wants, or that the family believes the student should be able to experience. If the family feels strongly that a "non-traditional" job is what their son/daughter needs, this is the time to make that known and to assist the transition team to figure out how it can be accomplished. You can also ask a person who is knowledgeable about transition and employment to be a part of the transition team. The Denver Interagency Transition Team can assist the family with this issue.
Q: How many times do you let your child fail before taking another direction?
This is a difficult -- and painful -- issue for parents. It is hard to see our children struggle and not be successful. However, it helps if you can see it, not as a failure, but as a learning/teaching experience. It is merely useful information to be used in making future plans. We now know that approach (whatever it is) does not work for this person. So, armed with that information, how do we move forward to the next step? This may happen several times before the "right situation is found. While this is happening, it is important to keep the student supported and encouraged and not to see him/her self as a failure but as someone who is actively engaged in finding what works for him/he
Q: When school isn't providing needed services, what do you do?
If the school is not providing the services described in the IEP it is the parent's responsibility to let the teacher and/or principal know that the IEP needs to be reviewed. Remember, parents can ask for an IEP meeting at any time -- you do not have to wait until the IEP is ready to expire to ask for a review. This may be very helpful to teachers as they may be struggling to help the student reach their goals and may feel frustrated in their lack of progress. A parent's approach to the teacher as a "partner" and not as a "problem" can make a big difference in the outcome.
Q: Academic vs. functional life skills; inclusion vs. special classes.
There has been, and continues to be, discussion about these issues. Every family has their own feelings about what works best for their child. There is merit in each of the approaches and really depends on the student and what the family believes is the best strategy. There are so many individual variables it is not easy to have "one size fits all". Some students learn best in a small resource room with lots of teacher support. Other students do well in regular classrooms with only occasional individual support. The key really seems to be how much support is available for both the student and the regular classroom teacher to be sure the student is learning and making progress.
As for the functional skills vs. academic question, there is a place for both approaches in a student's school experience. Some students are better prepared for life by learning their academics in a functional way: learning to read signs, instructions, grocery lists, newspapers, etc. and by using math skills by counting money, using a calculator, keeping a bank account. While it is extremely important for every student to achieve the ability to read, write, communicate and understand math concepts, it is also important that the student know how to
live as independently as possible as an adult. By age 18 most students who are not going on to post secondary education can benefit from functional life skills training.
Once again, it is important that families actively participate in the IEP process and request that transition planning be a part of that process. A good transition plan can incorporate both the academic and functional training that your daughter/son will need to be successful as an adult.
Q: We need a "map" to show us where we are in the process.
That, too, should be a part of the transition process. Your child's IEP meeting is a good place to begin. Each IEP meeting should begin with the student's "Current Level of Functioning". That could be the place to "draw your map" of where you are in the transition process. Every secondary special education teacher has a supply of "Transition Portfolios" which list all the critical academic and transitional/vocational steps students need to reach graduation. They also have a supply of Resource Directories for Transition Services and "Get Connected" flyers from the Denver Interagency Transition Team.
Q: What services are available for students age 18 - 21?
The school system is mandated to serve students receiving special education services until the end of the semester in which they turn 21. The responsibility for the transitioning of these students remains with the home high school. Some students choose to walk through the graduation ceremony at 18 and have their diploma held until age 21 so they can continue receiving services. It is wise for the family and the student to explore fully with their high school the options available for serving that student. There are now available some post secondary options for students needing vocational or technical classes. The Career Education Center and/or Emily Griffith Opportunity School also may have appropriate training for students. For other students, an Adaptive/Functional classroom or a community-based life skills program may best meet their needs. It is wise to begin considering the options for your daughter/son well before they reach the age of 18.
This is an issue which is currently being addressed. As middle schools become more aware of transition issues and their role in that process, they are acknowledging that planning for transition needs to begin at the middle school level. You, as a parent, can assist this process by requesting that such planning begin for your daughter/son while they are in middle school. Eventually that process should be included in the move from elementary school to middle school.
If your primary language is one other than English you have a right to be provided with translation so that you can understand and participate in your child's planning. Let the Principal of your child's school know ahead of time that you need an interpreter and one will be provided for you.
Q: The Denver Interagency Transition Team needs to be in touch with parent groups around the city!
We absolutely agree! We are attempting to do this and can use your assistance. If you are a part of any parent support group, or know of one that exists, please let the Denver Interagency Transition Team know ( 303-844-7324) and we will contact them and ask for time to make a presentation.
Q: IEPs need to be scheduled when the entire team can be present.
Yes, this is important. If your child's teacher schedules the IEP at a time when it is not possible for you to attend, you have the right to ask that it be changed to a one more convenient for you. It is important to be as flexible as possible when asking for the time you need, but accommodations should be made to try to meet your needs. It is also very important that as many team members as possible be present so that a well-rounded and well-designed transition plan can be made.