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From Autism Transition Handbook
An Online Resource for Families
Welcome!
Making the transition from school to adult life is challenging. For individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families, this transition is particularly difficult because federally mandated educational supports stop when a child turns 21. Adults and families are largely left on their own to find secondary education, housing, recreation, health care, and employment opportunities. The goal of this wiki is to assist individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families by providing access to the most current and comprehensive information on the transition to adulthood.
If you would like more information on how to use this site, please click here, and if you would like to join our list of contributors or have suggestions on information you would like to see added to the wiki, kindly email autismwiki@devereux.org.
Pennsylvania Families
While much of the content on this site is general in nature, funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Education has enabled us to include transition services information specific to Pennsylvania. Information from other states will be added in the future. If you are interested in assisting us in developing information for your state, please email us at autismwiki@devereux.org.
Table of Contents
Notes on Use: This site includes internal links and external links. Both internal and external links are highlighted in blue; external links are noted with an arrow facing upwards.
- Transition Overview and Timeline
- Laws and Regulations
- Transition Planning during the School Years
- Applying for Social Security and Medicaid
- State Support Services (Waivers)
- Health Care
- Transition to Work
- Post-Secondary Education
- Living in the Community
- Family Support, Education and Advocacy
- Recreation
- Guardianship and Financial Planning
- Other Financial Resources
- Web Resources
- Appendices
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments: The development of this handbook (as well as other transition support materials) was funded through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education; we would like to express our gratitude for their ongoing support. The Handbook was written by Brittany Hansen, M.Ed, Kate Dickey, and Todd Harris, Ph.D., Director of Autism Services, Devereux, and is currently maintained by Dr. Clare Papay, Assistant Professor of Special Education at Arcadia University. In 2008, under Dr. Harris' leadership and funded by a grant from the Bureau of Autism Services, Devereux launched the Community Adult Autism Partnership Program (CAAPP) to provide innovative community-based support services to adults with ASD and their families. These services include employment assessment, preparation, and placement; support for consumers enrolled in university and college programs; social skills training and groups; community-based instruction; instruction in home settings; and family education and support activities. We are also grateful for the support of the Organization for Autism Research which provided content for the sections on Transition to Work, Living in the Community and Post-Secondary Education. Finally, we would like to thank Devereux staff and Devereux families for providing input and suggestions and the students at Devereux CARES (our approved private school for students with Autism) and the individuals served by Devereux CAAPP, and all of their families for the inspiration they provide us every day.
The Autism Transition Handbook was designed with the support of Jersey Cow (http://www.jerseycow.com) which provides strategy, architecture, and implementation for e-learning environments, and in-depth problem-solving to publishers, children's media, and non-profit providers.
