Parents of children with disabilities typically experience more stress than families who do not have children with disabilities.
Parents of children with disabilities typically experience more stress than families who do not have children with disabilities. The purpose of this assignment is to analyze how some of these perceptions and barriers affect family involvement.
Visit the following website: IRIS Website (Links to an external site.)
On a word document, complete the following questions:
What is a secondary transition?
Why is it important for school personnel to help students plan for post-school transitions?
List and describe the five components of the Taxonomy for Transition Programming.
Explain why self-determination is important for students with disabilities.
Read:
Jessica is a rising ninth-grade student who has a physical and intellectual disability and uses a wheelchair. Imagine you are Jessica’s general education teacher and a member of her IEP team. As part of her annual review meeting, Jessica and her team discuss her post-secondary plans. Following is some of the information the team learns during the meeting.
Strengths:
Capable student who works hard to get passing grades
Loves the computer and catches on quickly to games and computer programs
Short-term goals:
Ride the school bus to and from school (currently, parents transport her)
Spend more time with friends
Post-school goals:
Get a job in a hospital or somewhere she can help sick people (as long as she doesn’t have to read much)
Live on her own or with a roommate
Areas of need:
Doesn’t like to read and often doesn’t remember things she does read
Additional information: Her parents state that she has never talked with them about her post-school goals, and they always assumed she would live with them.
For each of the components of the Taxonomy for Transition Programming, recommend one or two actions you as the teacher can take to help Jessica reach her goals. Explain your responses.
Sample Solution
What is a secondary transition?
Secondary transition is the process of preparing students with disabilities for life after high school. This includes planning for education, employment, independent living, and community participation.
Why is it important for school personnel to help students plan for post-school transitions?
School personnel play a vital role in helping students with disabilities plan for post-school transitions. By working with students and their families, school personnel can help students develop realistic goals and identify the resources and supports they need to achieve those goals.
Full Answer Section
List and describe the five components of the Taxonomy for Transition Programming: The five components of the Taxonomy for Transition Programming are:- Student-focused planning: This component focuses on helping students identify their interests, goals, and strengths. It also involves developing a plan to help students achieve their goals.
- Student development: This component focuses on helping students develop the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in post-school life. This includes skills such as self-advocacy, problem-solving, and decision-making.
- Family engagement: This component focuses on working with families to support their child's transition planning and post-school success. It also involves providing families with information and resources.
- Interagency collaboration: This component focuses on coordinating services and supports from different agencies and organizations. This is important because students with disabilities often need services from multiple agencies to be successful.
- Program structure: This component focuses on creating a school environment that supports transition planning and post-school success. This includes having policies and procedures in place that support transition planning, as well as providing staff with training on transition planning.
- Meet with Jessica to discuss her interests, goals, and strengths.
- Help Jessica to develop a transition plan that outlines her goals and the steps she will need to take to achieve those goals.
- Encourage Jessica to be involved in making decisions about her transition plan.
- Help Jessica to develop the skills and knowledge she needs to be successful in post-school life, such as self-advocacy, problem-solving, and decision-making.
- Provide Jessica with opportunities to practice these skills in the classroom and in the community.
- Connect Jessica with resources and supports that can help her to develop these skills.
- Meet with Jessica's parents to discuss their expectations for her post-school life.
- Educate Jessica's parents about the transition planning process and the resources that are available to them.
- Encourage Jessica's parents to be involved in her transition planning.
- Coordinate with other agencies and organizations that are involved in Jessica's life, such as her pediatrician, vocational rehabilitation counselor, and local community college.
- Share information with these agencies and organizations about Jessica's transition plan and goals.
- Work with these agencies and organizations to develop a coordinated plan to support Jessica's post-school success.
- Work with your school administration to develop policies and procedures that support transition planning and post-school success.
- Encourage your school to provide staff with training on transition planning.
- Create a classroom environment that supports Jessica's transition planning and goals.