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Transition Services

A Quick Summary of Transition

  • Transition services are intended to prepare students to move from the world of school to the world of adulthood.
  • Transition planning begins during high school at the latest.
  • IDEA requires that transition planning start by the time the student reaches age 16.
  • Transition planning may start earlier (when the student is younger than 16) if the IEP team decides it would be appropriate to do so.
  • Transition planning takes place as part of developing the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP).
  • The IEP team (which includes the student and the parents) develops the transition plan.
  • The student must be invited to any IEP meeting where postsecondary goals, and transition services needed to reach those goals, will be considered.
  • In transition planning, the IEP team considers areas such as postsecondary education or vocational training, employment, independent living, and community participation.
  • Transition services must be a coordinated set of activities oriented toward producing results.
  • Transition services are based on the student’s needs and must take into account his or her preferences and interests.

(Taken from NICHCY – National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)

IEP Planning

How can you prepare for the IEP?

  • Prior to attending your child’s IEP discuss the following questions with your son/daughter:
  • What do you want for your son/daughter during the next year and in five years?
  • What type of post-secondary training and/or employment do you want your son/daughter to have after finishing high school?
  • Where will your son/daughter live after high school?
  • What concerns you most about the future of your son/daughter?
  • What community and state agencies will provide services to your son/daughter?
  • What will your son/daughter do for recreation and leisure activities in the future?
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