Latest / Life Without a Filter: Practical Strategies for Life After 22 / Episode 17: 9 Things To Do Now, The "Back to School" Checklist

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Episode 17: 9 Things To Do Now, The "Back to School" Checklist · Life Without a Filter: Practical Strategies for Life After 22

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hi everyone! It's September, which means students and families everywhere are settling back into the rhythm of the school year.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: This is the perfect time to pause and do a back-to-school transition planning review.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Keeping track of key dates and requirements now will save you and your child stress later and help ensure that your teen or young adult with disabilities stays on track for life after high school.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: The tips below come from my handout, the three steps to launching a participant directed program model, as well as resources like the Turning 18 checklist from Autism Housing Pathways and the Ark of Massachusetts Transition Guidelines.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Those links are below in the show notes.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: I have also included links to previous blog posts that go into more detail about some of those topics for you to refer back to.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: So let's begin.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: You know I love a good checklist, so I took the information from today's episode and asked Chat GPT to turn it into an easy-to-read checklist for me.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Since I am not a graphic designer by nature, this was a quick and easy way to put this together into a presentable format.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: So let's take a look.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: First, when is your next IEP meeting?
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Start by checking when your child's next IEP meeting needs to be held and compare it to what is already on your calendar.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Not sure when the date is?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: It will be listed on the administrative data sheet page of the IEP.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you know of conflicts like vacations, doctor's appointments, or work obligations, jot them down.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: That way you can proactively share them with the school team or have them ready when the meeting invite comes.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: The second thing to look at is is this a re-evaluation year?
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: In Massachusetts, re-evaluations happen every three years.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: You can also find the state listed on the administrative data sheet page of the IEP.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because testing needs to happen before the meeting, check your calendar for any conflicts that could keep your child out of school during that time.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: As a reminder, in Massachusetts, once a parent provides signed consent, the school district has 30 school days to complete the evaluation.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: The entire process of conducting the evaluations and reconvening the team to meet to discuss those results must be completed within 45 school days of the signed consent form.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: So you want to make sure that you're looking at your calendar to make sure that your child will be in school during those 30 and 45 school days so that the team can effectively complete those re-evaluations.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: The third thing to look at is when will the transition assessments be done?
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Transition planning must be updated every year.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: This often includes assessments, even if it's not a re-evaluation year.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: And these assessments can be both formal and informal and can be a one-time assessment or they can be assessments that take place over the course of the academic year.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: So you want to ask your team early on how they'll be collecting that information for the transition section of the IEP.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: As a family, think about what tools your child will use too, such as person-centered planning or independent assessments.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: For more information about the role of transition assessments in Massachusetts, I've put a link to the Mass DESI website.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: The next thing you want to look at at the beginning of the school year is do the IEP goals align with the transition goals?
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: You want to make sure your child's IEP goals connect directly to their long-term vision for life after school.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Using a person-centered plan and transition assessments helps ensure that the goals reflect their dreams and skills, not just academic requirements.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: The other reason I say to look at this in September is that if any of the transition goals have changed now and your child's IEP meeting isn't until March, you don't want to wait.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: You can always schedule an IEP meeting to review any changes identified by the student and make amendments to the IEP now so that you're not waiting until March to make those changes and adjustments.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Number five on my list is Does a 688 referral need to be made this year?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: If your child is at least two years from exiting school, the district is responsible for submitting the 688 referral form.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: In Massachusetts, the new IEP, even though it's not new anymore, I think I'm still going to be calling it the new IEP for a while, does include a spot to document which agency the referral was sent to and when.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: So double check that that's been done if it needs to be.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Tagging on to that, you also want to look at have you applied for adult services?
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: So while the school submits a 688 referral form, it's the family's responsibility to complete the actual applications for adult services.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't received the application packet from the identified agency, reach out directly and request it.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: This information is now also documented clearly in the new IEP format in Massachusetts.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: For more detailed information about the 688 process and applying for adult services, you can always reference back to previous blog posts and podcasts, and those are listed in the show notes.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: If your child is 18 or older or at least two years away from leaving the school system and your family has already connected with an adult service agency, now's the time to invite that agency's transition coordinator to the students' IEP meetings.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Giving them advanced notice ensures that they can be part of the planning process and get to know your child better.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: If your child is approaching the age of 18, now is a time to confirm if the school has asked your child to complete the age of majority form.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: For more information, there is a link to the Federation of Special Needs website that talks specifically about what the age of majority form is and what you as a family need to do.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Other items that you'll find on the Turning 18 checklist is information about has your child applied for SSI?
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Will your child need guardianship or supported decision making?
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: If male, has your child registered for the draft once they've turned 18?
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: And if applicable, have you added your child to the Section 8 housing voucher list?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Again, more detailed information can be found on those transition checklists, and I have also done previous posts and podcasts about those subjects, and everything is linked in the show notes.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: The last item is: Is it time to start exploring adult programs?
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Talk to your team about adult program options.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: They may know about local agencies, supports, and information on programs you are considering touring.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: Gathering input now helps make informed choices later.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: When we did this early, we were able to identify which adult programs had closed their wait list, so we knew that we had to table that organization since Elle would not be able to visit.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: So while that is a lot of information, some things to take away from this podcast.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: The first is that transition planning involves a lot of moving parts, but checklists can help.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: One strategy that worked for me was writing important years next to the checklist items.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you lean on your team.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Even though families handle the adult service applications, the school staff can provide digital copies of the evaluations, IEPs, and other documents.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Also, they know your child well and can be valuable sounding boards when you're looking at what different adult programs you may want to tour.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, transition planning is not a one-and-done exercise.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: This is something that you will revisit every year until your child exits the school system.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Having systems, resources, and timelines in place will help you stay organized and make the process far less overwhelming.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you're looking for other learning opportunities in September, here are a couple of webinars that I am personally attending this month.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: The first is the Ark of Massachusetts is hosting a webinar on Thursday, September 17th titled After I'm Gone, Taking a Walk Through the Future Planning Guide.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: The next one that I'm attending is on Tuesday, September 22nd.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: The MA21 Alliance is providing a webinar titled DDS Self-Direction Budgets, Understanding the Process and Your Rights.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: If self-directed programming is something that you are thinking about doing, this is going to be a great webinar that's going to go over how DDS talks about the self-directed budget process and what you can do with your budget amounts.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And if you disagree with your budget amounts, what you need to do to appeal.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I would strongly recommend attending that webinar.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: The other webinar that I am attending is being put on by the Department of Developmental Services or DDS in Massachusetts over the course of three dates in September.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: And this is going to be specifically talking about the use of an independent facilitator for families and participants that are doing the participant directed program.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: And they have three dates at different times of the day.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: So if you either are thinking about doing participant directed programming or are currently doing it and are interested in learning about what an independent facilitator is and how they can help support your adult andor your family in this process, I think this is going to be a great webinar to attend.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope that you found this information helpful and remember you've got this.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: Take it into small steps, and you can handle this.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, thanks for listening.