The team asks, “What does your child need to reach these future goals?” This could include instruction, work experiences, career exploration, community experiences, self-advocacy, transportation practice, or connections to adult services.
Services and supports are the activities and services that support your child's growth in awareness, exploration and understanding of adult life in the areas of education/training, employment and independent living. These are the “hands-on” learning experiences that most students need to give vision to voice. These transition services and/or activities may include college visits, day program visits, building resumes, practicing self disclosure or many other aspects of adult life. Each PSG will require at least one supporting activity or service.
Transition Services: My Checklist for the School
- Show me the steps. What specific activities—like job tours, learning how to use a bus, or practicing an interview—will the school do with my child this year?
- Make them "countable." These shouldn't be vague. I want to see activities that have a clear beginning and end so we can check them off the list when they are done.
- Make it personal. The activities should match my child's specific goals. If they want to be a chef, they should be practicing cooking or visiting a kitchen, not just doing generic "work skills."
- Prove it's happening. I want to see notes or documentation showing that last year’s activities were actually finished.
The Four Areas to Watch:
- Instruction: What are they being taught in class? (e.g., learning how to budget money).
- Community Experiences: Are they getting out of the building? (e.g., visiting a local college or a grocery store).
- Employment: Are they practicing for a job? (e.g., writing a resume or doing a "job shadow").
- Related Services: Do they need extra help to get there? (e.g., working with a therapist on social skills for the workplace).
Questions I can ask:
- "Can you show me the list of activities planned for this semester?"
- "How does 'Activity A' specifically help my child get closer to their goal of 'Job B'?"
- "Who is responsible for making sure these activities actually happen, and how will I know when they are finished?"
Goal: If the services are unclear or unrelated, the connection for my child will be unclear as well. Providing specific activities that connect the PSGs to the learning is essential.