Did You Get Transition Services?

Post Reply New Topic

I would really appreciate y'all's feedback on this.

In the United States, students with Individual Educational Programs (IEPs) are supposed to begin a transition process by at least age 16. The high school is supposed to help the student set goals for the future, make plans for reaching those goals, provide services (like setting up internships) towards that end, etc.

For those here who graduated from high school in the U.S. after 2004:
--Did you get any transition services?
--Did you get to participate in the process of setting goals?
--Did the transition process do you any good?

Granted my memory of that time is pretty fuzzy, but I don't recall any sort of transitional services. Also not sure if I actually moved to an IEP or just had a 504 plan (basically one step below an IEP) the whole time, that could be why.

Did not transition well because through high school I had the stereotypical Aspie memory, so when I actually had to study in college, I went in with basically zero study skills. Being forced to have a roommate my first year wreaked havoc on my mental health as well, simply because I am not suited to living with others in such a situation (nothing at all against my roommate personally, all due to needing extensive amounts of alone time). I didn't get any accommodations or anything in college except for getting to have a single dorm room instead of a double after my first year and getting to stay in the dorms instead of the nearby apartments in my senior year (they had seniors live out of the dorms due to housing space in the dorms) because I was far too timid to advocate for myself.

After college, I had a heck of a time trying to get a job and only ever in my life managed to get 2 jobs, both as a part-time janitor and both so desperate for employees that there was no real interview, they'd basically take everyone (at my first job my manager asked me several times if I knew anyone else who might like a part-time job and was asking me to cover extra shifts on a weekly basis because the one other part-time janitor there (there was also one full-time janitor, and that was it for the location) quit the day after Black Friday that year). I've been on SSI for the past few years and still live with my parents, despite my efforts to gain independence.

Sorry to hear this. I'm sometimes unaware of the problems which others here are facing. You are a totally nice girl. Please don't give up easily because your life may change faster then you are expecting. There are nearly always opportunities that you need to realize only despite of all of your problems. The most important thing is that you get over your cancer now and become healthy again. Don't give to much on the rest. I wish you the best!

For many of us on the spectrum:

* “easy” jobs are hard, and

* “hard” jobs are easy!

And many parents and others trying to help don’t seem to fully realize this.