Young adolescents entering high school look forward to having more choices and making new and more friends; however, they also are concerned about being picked on and teased by older students, having harder work, making lower grades, and getting lost in a larger, unfamiliar school. For middle school students, including those who have been labeled…

When seriously emotionally disturbed students from an institution are placed in public schools, transition programs are critical. Responses of public school teachers and institutional teachers to a questionnaire identified communication and long range planning as major concerns. (CL)

The article describes a process for use in high-school transition programs to promote student independence within the context of vocational training. Strategies described include: evaluating student independence in community-based settings, teaching student adaptability, and transferring control of student independence to work-related stimuli. A…

Elementary-school students with hearing impairments need preparation for transition to junior high school, where students receive less individual support from teachers and must accept more responsibility. Such preparation should focus on keeping up with the class, following a personal class schedule, accepting responsibility, keeping track of…

The article examines communication training for handicapped students making the transition from school to adult life in terms of the need for communication training, principles of assessment, and the communication specialist as consultant. (DB)

Seven pitfalls of transition planning for students with disabilities are identified: (1) planning at an inappropriate level; (2) confusing means with ends; (3) failing to involve all relevant educational partners; (4) selecting programs before identifying goals; (5) failing to consider future community realities; (6) being unaware of the process…

A model is presented for planning the transition of handicapped children from early childhood special education (ECSE) programs into kindergarten/elementary school mainstream classrooms. The model, developed through Project TEEM (Transitioning into the Elementary Education Mainstream), enables parents, ECSE, and elementary school program staff to…

Discusses the core components of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 and the key elements of successful school-to-work partnerships for students with deafness. Elements include supportive and committed leadership, committed staff, support from local and state governments, help from facilitators, and financial support from diverse sources.…

Autism presents parents and families with many challenges under normal circumstances. Autism in a military family magnifies many of those challenges and adds a few more that are unique to the demands of military life and service, further complicating an already complex neurobiological disorder. Military sources indicate that more than 13,000…

These two information briefs provide basic information to parents of students with disabilities transitioning from special educational services to adult rehabilitation services. The first brief introduces the rehabilitation services available to youth with disabilities. It explains how the vocational rehabilitation system works, what the…

Recognizing that children who experience continuity as they enter formal education are more likely to sustain their earlier gains than children who do not experience continuity, this document provides guidelines for preschool, Head Start, and elementary teachers and administrators on transition procedures. An executive summary begins the document.…

This packet provides a variety of information pieces to help early childhood educational programs prepare young children with disabilities for transition out of one program and into another. The booklet opens with sample thoughts children may have when anticipating transition. Next, 20 possible differences among programs are specifically…

This booklet focuses on the role of interagency agreements in facilitating the transition of young children and their families from early intervention services to preschool services as children turn 3 years of age. Interagency agreements can be viewed as an "invisible brace" supporting families and staff as they consider many issues in moving from…

Individual transition plans (ITPs) outline specific curricular content and implementation strategies to help the postschool adjustment of severely handicapped students. ITPs should be longitudinal, comprehensible, based on functional objectives, oriented to a wide variety of actual environments, and should include input from competent related…

The Tennessee Early Intervention Network for Children with Handicaps (TEINCH) examined problems in the transition from early childhood to elementary school programs. Surveys of administrators from public schools and preschools revealed helpful strategies (such as encouraging both preschool and school personnel to attend the child's individual…