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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.