Re: transition suggestions

[Guest guest]

Hi 's parents,

Our 19 year old daughter, Kayla, with DS " graduated " from High School last

year and we struggled with making the right transition plan for her. The

Capistrano District's policy was that once you walk in graduation, you cannot

attend High School you must graduate to their Transition program. Problem

was that I did not think their Transition program was the right " fit " for

Kayla. They focus on life skills and some job skills, but do not offer

reading, math or other academics. My point to the District was that after she

finishes with school (age 22) there will be no more tutoring opportunities or

academics, unless we hire privately, and she needs higher academic skills

to expand her employment and living options. Also, she wanted to attend

college like her friends and sister, so that was the direction we went in. Her

Transition program is a combination of College classes, four days a week,

at pass or no pass, the transition program one full day, Fridays, a

reading program, two hours a week and speech, two hours a week. They also

reimburse us for an assistant for 15 hours a week. She attends classes with

Kayla

and is her note taker. She makes sure Kayla practices riding the public

bus, using her cell phone, ordering in the cafeteria, safety and so much more.

We decided to work on life skills more from home. A behaviorist, paid for

by Regional Center, comes for 2 hours a week and we are breaking down

cooking, cleaning, grooming and more into teachable steps. A Get Safe coach

also

comes in to work on stranger danger and teaching her to navigate and be

safe in the community. It's been a great combination for Kayla and she has

grown so much in the past six months.

Our advocate suggested a Transition Specialist help us with Kayla's IEP for

next year and we are awaiting his report. He is Green, a professor of

Special Education at Cal State Long Beach, and has amazing ideas for

Kayla's transition plan. Will let you know what he suggests in his report after

her IEP next Friday.

Also do you have the book: The Down Syndrome Transition Handbook? By

Joann Simons, MSW It's a Woodbine House book and has taught me so much. I

highly recommend it.

Hope sharing our experience and programs helps in some small way,

Kim

[Guest guest]

Wow, this sounds like a program tailored for your daughter. I hope we

are so lucky when we get to this stage in a few years. Sounds like we

have some questions to ask of our district next year at our transition

meeting to high school! Let us know how the Transition specialist goes.

, mom to (15) (13 DS) and Sammy (11)

On 5/5/2011 4:04 PM, k1mschwing@... wrote:

>

> Hi 's parents,

> Our 19 year old daughter, Kayla, with DS " graduated " from High School

> last

> year and we struggled with making the right transition plan for her. The

> Capistrano District's policy was that once you walk in graduation, you

> cannot

> attend High School you must graduate to their Transition program. Problem

> was that I did not think their Transition program was the right " fit " for

> Kayla. They focus on life skills and some job skills, but do not offer

> reading, math or other academics. My point to the District was that

> after she

> finishes with school (age 22) there will be no more tutoring

> opportunities or

> academics, unless we hire privately, and she needs higher academic skills

> to expand her employment and living options. Also, she wanted to attend

> college like her friends and sister, so that was the direction we went

> in. Her

> Transition program is a combination of College classes, four days a week,

> at pass or no pass, the transition program one full day, Fridays, a

> reading program, two hours a week and speech, two hours a week. They also

> reimburse us for an assistant for 15 hours a week. She attends classes

> with Kayla

> and is her note taker. She makes sure Kayla practices riding the public

> bus, using her cell phone, ordering in the cafeteria, safety and so

> much more.

> We decided to work on life skills more from home. A behaviorist, paid for

> by Regional Center, comes for 2 hours a week and we are breaking down

> cooking, cleaning, grooming and more into teachable steps. A Get Safe

> coach also

> comes in to work on stranger danger and teaching her to navigate and be

> safe in the community. It's been a great combination for Kayla and she

> has

> grown so much in the past six months.

>

> Our advocate suggested a Transition Specialist help us with Kayla's

> IEP for

> next year and we are awaiting his report. He is Green, a

> professor of

> Special Education at Cal State Long Beach, and has amazing ideas for

> Kayla's transition plan. Will let you know what he suggests in his

> report after

> her IEP next Friday.

>

> Also do you have the book: The Down Syndrome Transition Handbook? By

> Joann Simons, MSW It's a Woodbine House book and has taught me so much. I

> highly recommend it.

>

> Hope sharing our experience and programs helps in some small way,

> Kim

>

>