Fall Transitions: It’s Time to Make a Plan

“When I work with a new family, the first step we address is how the parents share information with the teacher and come up with a plan.”

Photo: In August, Danielle shared her parent advocacy tips on transition planning at a workshop for parents of kids who have learning differences.

Recently, I co-presented a workshop with parents about transition planning for families of kids who have learning differences. With the busy back-to-school season kicking off, parents were eager to dedicate a few hours to discover resources on navigating the sticky transitions between elementary and secondary school as well as future planning for high school and college.

Many of the parents were searching for tips on how to ease anxiety for their elementary school kids who struggle with new changes, strategies for easing back into the classroom environment, how to locate other parents with kids who learn differently in their community and understanding the college prep process for students with IEPs and 504 plans. It was clear that change is hard for most people, but for neurodiverse kids and their families, it can be overwhelming.

I’ve highlighted a few key areas and resources from our transition workshop below to help parents take action this fall, make a plan and feel more confident as they navigate the new school year.

Parent-Teacher Communication:

An essential area that families often grapple with is communicating with teachers. When I work with a new family, the first step we address is how the parents share information with the teacher and come up with a plan. Many teachers welcome communication from parents, but a good first step is to ask teachers how they like to receive updates. Via email? Through the classroom portal? Scheduling a brief chat before or after school? Also, if your kids have an IEP or 504 plan, I recommend sharing this back-to-school introduction letter from Understood.org with all your teachers. At the beginning of the school year, it's challenging for teachers to read through the intricate details of each student's IEP/504 Plan. Sharing key information about how your child learns best, their strengths and challenges, and highlighting what they love to do in their free time will help give teachers a fresh look at understanding your child.

Getting Organized:

Here are a few tips I provide families to help them ease into the school year with more confidence and clarity. Organization and preparation is key.

1. Review your child’s IEP/504 plan at the start of each school year and share your child’s accommodations with each teacher.
2. Reach out to your IEP or 504 case manager and schedule the annual meeting. Don’t wait for them to contact you. Be proactive!
3. Make an IEP or 504 binder to collect all your students' documents and data from the school. Or create one online storage system like Google Drive or Dropbox.
4. Create a separate email account for communicating with the school and help with organizing and tracking conversations and documents.
5. Begin collecting data on your child’s progress. Include homework, writing samples, quizzes/tests, progress reports, etc.
6. Develop a daily schedule of before and after-school activities and post in a central area of the home. Have your kids participate in organizing each month’s outlined activities.
7. Create a homework station with all the essentials to help your child find a safe, quiet space to focus on work.

High School: Transition 101

For families with teens in high school, these four years fly by in a flash. It's important to start each new year off strong and build those self-advocacy skills early with your young adult. Under IDEA, at age 16 students are required to participate in the IEP transition planning process and assist in developing goals for post-high school plans and transition services. Some states start even earlier, for example in New Jersey we start at age 14. Here are a few ideas to help with transition planning in high school:

1. Introduce teachers to any new student updates via email or set up a meeting in person and ask your student to participate.
2. Help students understand their IEP/504 plans and review accommodations together. This is a key area to engage teens and brainstorm on how they learn and interact with others best.
3. Allow students to build more self-advocacy goals in their IEP, like identifying their strengths and challenges and improving communication skills to ask for help from teachers.
4. Work closely with the guidance department and Child Study Teams, to talk through any social-emotional pressures or mental health concerns.
5. By junior year, seek out resources for neurodiverse students with college-prep goals, like testing accommodations and career counseling.

As you can tell, I could go on and on about transitions. Whether you have an elementary, middle or high school student, adjusting to changes and navigating transitions can be tricky, but don’t get overwhelmed. Get informed and make a plan.

As always, if you have any specific questions about your child or are looking for access to experts in the area for support, please connect with me here.