• Academic Supports for College Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Advice from Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Teachers Regarding Literacy Instruction
• Advice for Peer Tutors
• Applying the Ziggurat and CAPS Model in Your School District
• Aspects of Support for Learning
• A Young Adult's Guide to Deep Breathing as a Relaxation Technique: A Personalized Fact Sheet
• Can Schedule Usage Training Include Elements of Literacy Instruction?
• Clean Up Your Act! Creating an Organized Classroom Environment for Students on the Spectrum.
• Change is Good! Supporting Students on the Autism Spectrum when Introducing Novelty
• Classroom Choreography: The Art of Scheduling Staff and Students
• Complexities of Instructional Support
• Creating a Circle of Support
• Critical Features of Early Intervention: Merging Best Practices
• Developing Long Term Relationships Between School and Parents
• Early Intervention for Young Children on the Autism spectrum: Parent’s Perspective
• Educating Students with Autism: Are There Differences in Placement?
• Establishing Long Term Goals: What Are We Hoping to Achieve
• For General Education Teachers: Helpful Questions to Ask About Students with ASD
• Get Engaged: Designing Instructional Activities to Help Students Stay On-Task
• "Ham It Up and Get It Cookin!!" Thoughts From Dr. Greenspan
• Home-School Communication
• "I Can Do It Myself!" Using Work Systems to Build Independence in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
• “I Wake Up for MY Dream!” Personal Futures Planning Circles of Support, MAPS and PATH
• Life After High School...So Now What
• Literacy Resources
• Lovaas Revisited: Should We Have Ever Left?
• Making the Most of Morning Meeting
• Motivating Students Who Have Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Moving from Preschool to Kindergarten: Planning for a Successful Transition and New Relationships
• Peer Support Programs
• Promoting the Educational Success of Students with Autism: The Role of the Parent-Staff Relationship
• Planning for Successful Transitions Across Grade Levels
• Practical Steps to Writing Individualized Education Program (IEP) Goals: And Writing Them Well
• Practical Recommendations for Utilizing a Range of Instructional Approaches in General Education Settings
• Recognizing Different Types of Readers with ASD
• Reframing Our Thinking and Getting to Know the Child
• Restricted Repertoires in Autism and What We Can Do About It
• School Cultures that Support Students Across the Autism Spectrum
• Service Learning: Something to Think About
• Supporting Staff Using Coaching Model
• Supporting Students with Asperger's Syndrome
• Teaching Students Who Are Low-Functioning: Who Are They and What Should We Teach?
• Theory of Mind in Autism: Development, Implications, and Intervention
• There is No Place Called Inclusion
• The Road to Post-Secondary Education: Questions to Consider
• Tips for Teaching High-Functioning People with Autism
• Tips to Consider When Including a Student with ASD in Art, Music, or Physical Education
• Transition: Preparing for a Lifetime
• Transition to Middle School
• Transition Time: Helping Individuals on the Autism Spectrum Move Successfully from One Activity to Another
• Understanding the Design and Power of a Personal Schedule
• Using Visual Schedules: A Guide for Parents
• Who Are We Working for Anyway? Avoiding Personal Agendas at Meetings to Better Support Individuals Across the Autism Spectrum
• Structured Teaching Strategies: A Series
• Growing Up Together
• How to Open A Combination Lock/Locker
• Supporting Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders Through Postsecondary Transition
  • Predictors of Positive Transition
  • Tips for Writing Transition IEP Goals
  • Employment or College?
  • Timeline for Supporting an Individual with ASD Through Transition

(Note:  This is an expanded section of the article, " Supporting Youth with Austism Spectrum Disorders through Postsecondary Transition", contributed by Anna Merrill.  The main article can be found at:  http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=3629)

Tips for Writing Transition IEP Goals

Contributed by Anna Merrill, Graduate Assistant


One of the most important things to remember when thinking about the transition of a student with ASD is to consider the ultimate goal and how you are preparing that student for achieving that goal. One way in which the public education system has ensured that schools support transition is through the creation of transition goals for students within the Individual Education Program (IEP). Federal legislation requires that no later than when the child turns 16 (although age requirements vary by state) the IEP must include:

1) Appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and where appropriate, independent living skills; and
2) The transition services (including courses of study) needed to assist the child in reaching those goals.

Tip 1: Talk to the Student

When the IEP team begins formulating the transition goals the first step is always to ask the student! It may seem obvious, but sometimes teams can forget that the goals should be based on the dreams of the student - not their teachers or parents. Here are some examples of questions you may want to ask a student regarding employment, postsecondary education, and independent living.

Employment
• What kind of work would you like to do?
• What kind of training will you need for that work?
• What kind of environment would you enjoy working in?
• Will you need any supports on the job?

Postsecondary Education
• Are you interested in pursuing higher education after you leave high school?
• Have you investigated what types of colleges or universities would match your interests/needs/environment?
• What supports will you need to succeed in a postsecondary academic environment?

Independent Living
• Where would you like to live (with your family, on your own, with a friend)?
• What kind of skills will need to make it happen (cooking, cleaning, using transportation)?
• How will you take care of your health needs?
• How will you manage financially?

Tip 2: Draft Some Goals as a Team

Once you have gathered information from the student and have a clear picture on the vision for their future it is time to start actually writing goals. The goal does not need to be perfect the first time you write it. The entire IEP team should be involved in crafting some goals that can then be reviewed by the team and revised. Once the team has a list of goals consider the following questions as you revise:

• Can the goals be measured?
• Are the goals written to take place after the student graduates from school?
• Are there annual IEP goals that reasonably enable the student to meet the postsecondary goal (s) or make progress
toward meeting the goal (s)?
• Are there transition services in the IEP that focus on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child to facilitate his or her movement from school to post-school?

Tip 3: Finalize the Goals and Match Them to Transition Services

Once the team has developed IEP goals that everyone is confident reflects the postsecondary goals of the student it is important to address what services will be needed to support that student meeting their goals. Consider the table below as a guide for what this might look like.






Return to Main Article