Interactive Convention 2014
Learning Labs
Focus on the End Game: Transition Conversations
with Students and Families
Misty Terrell, ESC Region 13
.
Session Title:
Focus on the End Game: Transition Conversations with Students and
Families
Presenter:
Misty Terrell M.Ed., Region 13 Education Specialist
Contact Information:
[email protected]
(512)590-9130
Speaker Bio:
Misty Terrell is an education specialist with Region 13 Education Service
Center. She has a Bachelor's degree in special education from Northern Arizona
University and a Master's in Education in special education with an emphasis in
low incidence disabilities from Texas A&M. Misty worked as a classroom teacher
for seven years and was a low incidence facilitator with Leander ISD before joining
Region 13.
Focusing on the End Game
1) What are the difficult
conversations you have
with parents?
2) What are the major
transitions your students
and families deal with?
Focusing on the End Game means:
1) Asking parents and families questions
a. “Seek first to understand”
2) Meet them where they’re at
a. Parents understand their child is different, sometimes they’re not
ready to go there
b. Slow and steady wins the race - Lots of short conversations about
transitions will help parents process, better than “forcing them to be
realistic”
c. Don’t be a dream killer
d. Life is a marathon, not a sprint
i. Encourage parents to plan for tough questions early:
ii.
Do you see your child getting married and having a family?
iii.
What do you see your child doing for a job?
iv.
What do you see your child doing for post-secondary education?
v.
What will happen when you die?
vi.
Where will your child live?
vii.
Who will be your child’s friends?
viii.
How will your child manage money?
3) Goal Setting
a. This is a learned skill
b. Break down life goals as you would a task analysis or goals and
objectives for an IEP
c. Create an action plan that outlines what will be done, who is
responsible for completing the task and by when the action is to be
completed.
d. Review the plan to develop new actions and evaluate why other
actions weren’t completed
4) Maintain a transition toolkit to share with parents
a. Share resources and agency information
b. Discuss the need to get on waiting lists early
i. Remind parents that even if they think they won’t need a
specific service, things change and many lists are up to ten
years long
c. Use transition assessments to make data based decisions and frame
conversations with parents
i. Make them a part of the assessment process
ii.
What chores does your child do at home? Do they need to be
reminded to complete it?
iii.
Does your child complete homework? How independent are
they?
iv.
Does your child know what their accommodations are? Do they
communicate with their teachers?
v.
Do you take them to the grocery store or out to a restaurant?
How often?
vi.
Do they order their own food at a restaurant?
vii.
Does your child make choices about what to wear, or what
snack to eat, etc?
viii.
Do they spend time outside of school with same aged peers?
ix.
How long can they sustain a task at home?
x.
Do they complete their hygiene routine independently?
Resource List
Resources
Symbaloo
Tri-State
Transition
Slide Guide
National
Center on
Secondary
Education
and
Transition
NCET Person
Centered
Planning
Region XIII
ESC
Transition
Website
The ARC of
Texas
http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/specialeducationresourc
http://web.richmond.k12.va.us/Portals/0/assets/ExceptionalEd/p
dfs/TriStateTransitionGuide.pdf
http://www.ncset.org
http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=1431
http://www4.esc13.net/transition/
http://www.thearcoftexas.org