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TOOLS FOR TRANSITION
An Educator’s Guide

CREATING A VISION
+
The Asperger Experience

 The Wright Family

 Clueless Conversations
+

Reach high,

for stars lie hidden in your soul.

Dream deep,

for every dream precedes the goal.

Pamela Vaull Starr
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The Transition Process

 For a variety of reasons, students on the autism spectrum
need more extensive support and often a longer period of
time to make successful transitions. The transition process
should begin considerably earlier for this population than for
neurotypical students.

 Preparation for the transition to post secondary life should
really begin in middle school. However, a logical starting
point is at age 14 when transition plans are mandatory and
when the student is able to attend team meetings.

 Educators have been reluctant to develop transition plans –
this presentation offers some practical and doable methods
for beginning the process of writing transition plans.
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 The foundation upon which a transition plan can be
developed is the student/parent/teacher vision statement
which forms the basis for the IEP.
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The Vision Statement

 What is the vision statement. Ideally it expresses the highest
expectations for the student coupled with a realistic
appraisal of the student’s potential. This delicate balance is
often difficult to achieve, but students should be encouraged
to “aim high” – much of what has not evolved naturally or
intuitively, can be learned.

 Vision statements should be as specific as possible in order
to be most effective. These statements are fluid – they may
(and should) change as the student matures, has more
experiences, learns new skills and develops alternative
perspectives.
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WHY?

 Despite often superior ability many students on the autism
spectrum fail to achieve at a level commensurate with their
ability. Some may succeed academically, but are unable to
acquire or sustain meaningful, appropriate employment.
Others struggle to meet conventional educational standards
due to developmental delays in executive functioning and in
the acquisition of independent life skills.

 Traditional high school programs do not always prepare
these students for post secondary life. As educators we must
review and rethink the components of an educational
program which will ensure a more successful transition.
+ 8

Only 6% of all people with an
autistic spectrum disorder have
full-time paid employment.
(National Autistic Society of
Great Britain)
Ellen H. Korin, M.Ed. c. 2009 11/10/2011
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 Students on the Autism Spectrum characteristically live in the
here and now. They tend to find it difficult projecting into the
future. This is one way in which the educator can assist in the
process of developing a vision which will form the basis for a
transition plan.

 Despite the tendency to live in the here and now, adolescents
on the autism spectrum are often interested in, and are quite
capable of future planning

 The foundation of a plan for the future begins with a sense of
the outcome. Where do you see yourself at some future date?
Start with a Vision
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 One way to begin is to know where you are going:
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What do you want in your life in five
years; in ten? What is your ideal
situation:
Are you working?
Where do you live?
With whom do you live?
What do you do for recreation?
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ROLE OF THE TEACHER AND/OR
PARENT
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 A first step is to expose the students to the myriad
possibilities for adult living. Location, employment,
recreation, finances, relationships, are but a few of the
components of adult life.

 Students can be introduced to these options through
personal vignettes, written or oral; career days; take your
son or daughter to work days; shadowing in the workplace;
summer, school vacation or part time internships during the
school year (or as part of the school day as per IEP) and
selective readings of this information.
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MORE EXPLORATION

 Another strategy is to explore the components of a “good
life” in an individual, group or parent/student activity.

 One technique which has been used effectively is to give
each student a blank jigsaw puzzle on which he or she writes
the components of a “good life”. These are shared with the
group and listed on a board so that they can all see the many
things that are potential factors in creating a satisfying life
experience.

 Students can then draw from, modify or add to these
elements.
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Puzzle Pairs Activity
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Fill out your puzzle pieces with things you want in your
life…what you think would make you happy…would give you
the life you want:

For example: job you love

sports car

significant other

college degree

condo in maui
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EXAMPLES

 HEALTH LOVE

SECURITY ROMANCE

 SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE FUN

 ADVENTURE RESPECT

 STABILITY VALUE TO OTHERS

 EDUCATION RELIGION

 MUSIC HOPE
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Destination: Adulthood
Community
Employment
Living
Recreation

Functional
Vision Goals
Vocational
Evaluation

Social & Education
Communication Including Post
Independent Life Skills
Skills Secondary

7
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INTRODUCE MODELS

 Additional structure and support can be provided by offering
students samples of previously written visions as models.
This may help them crystallize their thinking and formulate
their ideas.
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SAMPLE COMPONENTS OF A
GOOD LIFE 1
 GOOD EDUCATION – ADVANCED DEGREE

 ENJOYABLE JOB – COMPUTER RELATED

 NICE PLACE TO LIVE

 EXCELLENT CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

 GOOD FRIENDS

 LOVE

 MARRIAGE
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Sample Vision Statement 1

 Infive to ten years I imagine I will be finished with
or finishing college and possibly graduate school.
I plan to be a software developer and maybe start
my own company. I will get a computer technology
and business degree. I will be living in a major
metropolitan area such as New York or Boston. I
will probably have my own apartment, maybe a
condominium. I hope to have a few friends and
maybe a girlfriend. I would like to be in a serious
relationship with the possibility of marriage not too
far away. I am enjoying all of the benefits of a big
city.
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Sample 1 Goals

 Finish high school with grades good enough to get into a
good college.

 Develop better organizational skills

 Become more comfortable with people
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SAMPLE COMPONENTS 2

 COLLEGE EDUCATION

 TRADITIONAL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

 INDEPENDENCE

 LACK OF STRESS

 MEANINGFUL WORK –ASTRONOMY

 COMPATIBLE FRIENDS

 MOBILITY
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Sample Vision 2

 Infive years I hope to be in college- probably a
smallish school with a good liberal arts program
and excellent math and science departments. I am
thinking about astronomy as a major. I hope to be
living in the dorm, maybe in a single room in a
suite so I can have the option of interacting or
having alone time. I have some friends who share
my interest in astronomy and science fiction. We
go to movies and the science museum together. I
belong to some student clubs and have met a boy I
like and hope to get to know better.
I would like to obtain a driver’s license and I would
like to get better grades so I will have more
choices for college.
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Sample 2 Goals

 Improve my grades

 Take driver’s education

 Learn some better social skills

 Learn to manage my daily living skills
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SAMPLE COMPONENTS 3

 HAPPINESS

 FRIENDS TO PLAY WITH

 MORE CALM/LESS ANXIETY

 ABLE TO GET ALONG WITH OTHERS

 FUN

 BETTER STUDENT
+ Sample Vision 3

 In 5 years I would like to be happier at school and in the
community. I would like to have a good friend and maybe a few
other kids to play with or to eat lunch with. I would like to get
along better with the other kids. I would like to do a better job on
my schoolwork and understand things that go on around me. I
would like to stop getting so upset and worried all the time. I
would like to have some fun.
+ Sample Goals 3

 Learn how to make and sustain a friendship

 Improve ability to think through things that are confusing (protocol
or rubric)

 Improve ability to follow directions

 Improve social and communication skills/awareness of others and
of neurotypical behaviors.
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PARENT/TEACHER PERSPECTIVE

 Once the student has identified some of the components of
his or her vision and the goals which emerge from it, the
parent and the educators can share their thoughts and ideas.
They help to elucidate the logical interventions which must
be made to realize the goals.

 For example, in Vision 1 the student wants to get grades
which will be good enough to obtain admission to a “good”
college. When compared to the student/parent/teacher
assessment of skills this may mean improving consistency of
production, time management, writing skills, etc. Helping
adults may help to make the goal more precise; “get a B
average” rather than “grades good enough for a good
college.”
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 In Vision 2 the young person would like to live in the dorm.
Preparation for this might include learning
 how to get up on his/her own,
 How to manage hygiene and presentation of self
 How to tolerate noise and other sensory issues
 How to keep track of belongings, materials and assignments
 How to remember things
 Etc.
+ 31

Vision: A fulfilling life with
work and relationships

3
1 2
My own
Meaningful work Friends
apartment

Now fill out your own:

Goals

1 2 3

Ellen H. Korin, M.Ed. 2006 c. 2007 11/10/2011
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 A next step is to refine the list and make a personal list of
what the individual wants in his or her life.

What I Want in my Life

Job
Relationship(s)
Money
Friends
Location
Lifestyle
Spirituality
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 To create a maximally useful vision, the next step is to
concretize the general categories identified.

Category Specifics
Job Computer Game developer
Relationship Married
Children
Lifestyle Urban setting
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 Create a template to help structure the writing task

 And encourage the student to be as specific as possible:
 Where do you live? City, suburb, rural…
 With whom do you live?
 What do you do for work?
 What do you do for recreation? When? With whom?
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WRITING PROMPTS

 Students on the spectrum often struggle with writing tasks,
especially unstructured or open ended assignments. Never a
good idea to give just a blank page and minimal instruction.
Help the student express thoughts by putting words in a word
box and/or creating a template to help structure the writing
task
+PROVIDE STRUCTURE

 LIST THE COMPONENTS SELECTED BY THE STUDENT IN
THIS WORD BOX

Instruct the student to use the words from the word box to write a vision
statement

OR
+SAMPLE TEMPLATE

 LIST THE COMPONENTS SELECTED BY THE STUDENT IN
THIS WORD BOX

CHOOSE FROM THE WORD BOX TO FILL IN THE BLANKS;
In (5) (10) years I would like to live __________________. I would
like to __________________________. I will have
______________ and _____________________. When I am not
working I will ______________________. I will live with
______________________. My favorite activities will be
_________________________. My education will be
________________________.
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 If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;
that is where they should be.

 Now put the foundations under them.

 Henry David Thoreau
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TRANSLATING VISION TO PLAN
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ARE WE TEACHING THE RIGHT
STUFF?
High school students, cognizant of college entrance
requirements and the competition for acceptance, often take
honors level or Advanced Placement classes and the
maximum number of credits. Many students with AS are
exceptionally bright and intuitive, yet lack basic skills,
common sense, judgment, awareness of the world around
them, etc. Our curriculum and graduation requirements may
need to be adjusted to incorporate these more basic life
skills and delay the advanced content area courses for post
secondary learning. Many of these students pursue
advanced degrees, yet without some of these more elemental
abilities, they may not be able to make use of their gifts.
+

 Therefore a well thought out, comprehensive and
individualized transition plan is essential.

 The plan should be based on an assessment of the skills
needed for independent post secondary life in conjunction
with an assessment of the skills exhibited by the student in
these areas.

 SAMPLE ASSESSMENT
+ Example

Skills and Behaviors Assessment:
Do I consistently and independently Yes No

 Brush teeth  Schedule

 Shower  Eat

 Hair wash  Take medicine

 Combed  Listen

 Clean clothes  Take turns

 Get up

 Do homework

 Write assign.
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Yes No

 Have a meltdown plan
 Have emergency kit
 Know the “allies”
 Know how to start a conversation
 Know what to talk about
 Know how to end conversation
 Know how to take turns
 Know how to listen and respond
 Writes assignments
 Have a homework time
SELF CARE: Performs these activities without prompting: Never
Rarely Occasionally Frequently Independently Comments/Notes

Gets up on own

Washes

Showers

Brushes Teeth

Combs hair

Wears clean clothes

Eats

Takes medicines

Seeks medical care

Dresses appropriately for weather conditions

Able to remember basic tasks/messages

Keeps track of belongings

Able to drive or take public transportation

Able to get to destination on time

TOTAL

ACADEMIC FUNCTIONING

Records

Completes

Hands in assignments

On time with virtually no assistance

May require accommodations but not monitoring/prodding

Understands learning profile and needs

Able to advocate for self or obtain an advocate

Able to follow academic rules (read what is assigned, show work, etc.)

Will follow teacher instruction

TOTAL

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Appropriate greetings with eye contact (no staring or lack of eye contact)

Able and willing to communicate needs and questions

Affect matches circumstance/topic/situation

Able to control: obsessions

Self stimulation

Inappropriate responses/ meltdowns until in a private locations or as
prearranged with helping adults

Able to engage in “small talk” for short periods

Able to: begin

sustain

Terminate conversations
May require accommodations but not monitoring/prodding

Understands learning profile and needs

Able to advocate for self or obtain an advocate

Able to follow academic rules (read what is assigned, show work, etc.)

Will follow teacher instruction

TOTAL

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Appropriate greetings with eye contact (no staring or lack of eye contact)

Able and willing to communicate needs and questions

Affect matches circumstance/topic/situation

Able to control: obsessions

Self stimulation

Inappropriate responses/ meltdowns until in a private locations or as prearranged with
helping adults

Able to engage in “small talk” for short periods

Able to: begin

sustain

Terminate conversations

TOTAL

RELATIONSHIPS

Able to engage with helping adults other than parents

Aware of others to extent that actions and behaviors do not adversely affect them

Understands the basics of relationships, such as levels and associated rules, the concept of reciprocity,
etc.

TOTAL
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What Needs Work

 After completing the assessment have the student list the
areas identified as needing work. Anything marked
“occasionally”, “rarely
“ or “never” should be considered needing work.

 Then assist the student to prioritize so that they can set the
sequence for addressing the skills needed.
+

 The skills identified through these types of assessments
should be incorporated in the IEP along with any academic,
social, OT and Speech/Language skills to be addressed.
Accommodations which may be needed for the AS student
to successfully meet transition goals might include
 Adjusting requirements and electives to accommodate life skills
 Summer or part time internships
 Collaboration with parents to address hygiene, mobility/travel
and the like.

 Remember, Neurotypical students acquire life skills naturally; AS
students do not.
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TIMETABLE

 A good transition plan should take a long range view and
include the major goals and outcomes;

 Within that framework the sequence for addressing the
underlying or sub-skills should be presented;

 Consideration may need to be given to extending the
student’s high school career, depending on the need to take
fewer credits or perceived or anticipated readiness at age 17
or 18;
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 Further information regarding the creation of a transition
plan will be provided in the next session.
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 Trust Yourself.

 Create the kind of self that you will be happy with all your life.
Make the most of yourself by the fanning the tiny, inner sparks
of possibility into the flames of achievement.

 Foster C. Mcclellan
51

Ellen H. Korin, M.Ed.
Consultation, Coaching & Professional Development

10 Coach Road Lexwww.ellenhkorin.com
Ellen H. Korin, M.Ed. c. 2009
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I will be signing books
after the presentation.

I would enjoy speaking with you about
the presentation and my books!

Thank you for your time!