Tools for Transition – Avoiding the Abyss

A blog for those with students finishing high school and all those who want to begin preparing for this from the earliest age.

The word transition strikes fear in the hearts of many on the autism spectrum. For their families, it is tempting to keep everything static to avoid stress and the inevitable meltdowns.

And then there are those transitions over which we have little control. These are the transitions that happen as kids on the spectrum move through the various stages of the service and educational system.

The transition from early intervention services to school district services at age 3 is difficult for many, as the nature of the service is both different, often less intense, and center rather than home based. Then parents face the transition from small nurturing pre-school programs to the challenge of elementary school. And just when both child and parent have developed lasting relationships with staff in K to 5 programs, middle school looms. No sooner does everyone feel that they understand the dimensions of a middle school program than high school is upon them. And all along the way, families are faced with decisions about the type of school and classroom. Fading supports, while a sign of the progress the child has made, raises concerns of how they will handle this transition and fears of regression.

But no transition is as difficult as that from high school to adulthood. The potential abyss of this transition lasts for decades. The structure of the day and social supports that school has offered are gone. All too many students end up at home watching TV and playing video games. Others attempt to pursue college right away and many succumb to anxiety and depression when this proves too difficult without the supports that their IEP's provided. Others end up in segregated day programs that do not tap into their strengths or address their challenges.

Those who are on non-diploma tracks are offered 4 additional years of transition, funded by the school district, and most often offered in the schools that they have attended.

It is for those who have been successful in securing a high school diploma by age 18, that the abyss is greatest. Once a student has accepted a high school diploma ( meaning that he/she has passed State testing and completed all required units) eligibility for school district funding ends. All the hard work by student, parent, and teacher results in a document that says they are a high school graduate but offers no bridge to the future. And having worked so hard at academics the student has had little chance to explore the world and his or her choices.

Transition to college is not an easy task for neuro-typical students either. For this reason there has been a growing movement to take a GAP year before entering college These students have been accepted to colleges (even Harvard- which strongly encourages this practice) and have deferred for a year. The GAP year gives them a needed rest and a chance to grow and mature.

If this is important for NT students, imagine how much more so for those on the spectrum. To address this, FACT, at the suggestion of one of our young adult Emerging Leaders, has developed a GAP year program designed to meet the needs of those on the spectrum facing this transition. In addition to the benefits of a typical GAP year, we believe that it is critical to help students Generate All Possibilities. To this end, participants in this program will have the opportunity to be introduced to community college, business traineeships, Americorps (domestic Peace Corps) and Micro-enterprise (running a small business). For more information please

In closing, I would like to share some of the wisdom I have gained from our young adult emerging leaders as they have crossed this bridge. Their voices speak to parents of children and young adults of all ages:

No amount of help is useful if it is the wrong kind of help.

Should I be allowed to sleep and listen to my iPod just because I am autistic.

If you miss enough appointments, you start putting them in your phone.

Failure is necessary for growth.

And from my youngest teacher (aged 9).

If I say I am worried, don't tell me that everything will be OK.

If I say something is hard, don't just tell me I know how to do it.