Transition planning helps special needs students move from school to adult life. It involves coordinating activities designed within an outcome-oriented process. Transition services can help students go to college, get jobs, find housing, and engage with their community. The transition planning process takes into consideration a student's life experiences to determine appropriate educational resources and programming from ages 14 to graduation. It is the responsibility of the student's school district to facilitate transition planning and invite outside agencies and the student to transition planning meetings starting at age 14.

1. Transition Support
for Special Needs
Students

2. Introduction
What is transition?
• Transition is the passage from one stage to another
and is a lifelong process.
• Transition occurs when a student moves from home
to school, or from school to community.

3. What is transition program?
• According to Shogren and Plotner (2012), a transition
program is a coordinated set of activities for a special
needs student, designed within an outcome-oriented
process that promotes movement from school to
out-of-school activities.

4. What is transition services?
• Transition services help a student move from school
to adult life.
• The services depend on the student’s needs and
interests.
• A student can get help to go to college or other
school after high school.
• Transition services also help students get jobs, find a
place to live, and be a part of the community.

5.  Transition planning takes into consideration all
major aspects of each student’s life experiences and
assists in determining appropriate educational
resources and programming.

6. Why is Transition Planning Important?
• Provide pupils with options and plans for their
future.
• Transition services offer students with learning
disabilities hope for the future.

7. Where Do Transition Plan Activities Happen?
• At Home
Open a bank account and learn to manage her
money.
Learn to shop for groceries and plan and prepare
meals.
Learn how to use public transportation.
• In the Community
Research and visit local colleges and training
schools she’s interested in attending.

8. What strategies and activities must be included
in the statement of needed transition services?
• Instruction can take place in a classroom, small
group or one-to-one learning. It can be provided in
public schools, private schools, at home, or in the
community.
• Related Services may include transportation, speech,
occupational therapy, physical therapy and other
supportive services necessary for a student to
benefit from special education.

9. • Community Experiences may be provided in
communities by schools, consultants, private
providers or other agencies.
• Employment / Other Post-School Adult Living
Objectives may lead to a paid job or career
opportunity, or other important adult activities.
• Daily Living Skills are the types of activities most
adults do every day at home and in the community.
• Functional Vocational Evaluation provides
information about job or career interests, aptitude
and skills.

10. Who is responsible for transition planning?
• The student's school district of residence is
responsible for transition planning and the provision
of transition services.
• The school must schedule an IEP meeting to discuss
transition and notify the student and his or her
parents about the meeting.
• If outside agencies will participate in the meeting,
the school must invite those agencies to the
meeting.

11. What is the role of student in transition
planning?
• Students with disabilities, age 14 and older, must be
invited to participate in transition planning.
• If the student does not attend the meeting when
transition is being discussed, the school district must
take other steps to ensure that his/her preferences
and interests are considered.

12. Who decides what services a student gets?
• The Individual Education Program [Plan] (IEP)
team decides on the services.
• When the team talks about transition services,
the student should be there.
• The team should also invite a representative
from any agency the student might use.

13. When does transition planning start?
• The IEP team has to start planning when the student
turns 14.
• They need to look at what classes the student is
taking.
• The student’s classes should match with what s/he
wants to do after graduation.

14. • Eg:
– If the student wants to go on in school, s/he needs
classes to prepare for college.
– If the student wants to learn a skill or a trade, s/he
might need a vocational education program.
• By age 16, the IEP should list all services the student
will need to move from school to post-school.

15. How does the team decide which services a
student needs?
• The first step in transition planning is an evaluation.
• The evaluation must look at five different areas of
the student’s life:
1. Work
2. Recreation and leisure
3. Home living
4. Community participation
5. Opportunities to learn new things after high
school.

16. • The results of the evaluation are written in a report.
• The IEP has annual goals and short-term
instructional objectives for each part of the student’s
education.
• The team has to write goals and objectives for
transition.