Life’s Transition Points Suggestions on How to Think about and Prepare for Them Assumptions * Our days are filled with routine * We do not have time to plan * We do not have time to prepare * Taking the long view is a luxury * Thinking about the big picture creates stress * Everyone goes though this * There must be something we can do to be better prepared for transition points, but what? Challenges * Finding time * Knowing where to start * Knowing what we need * Being comfortable with asking * Being competent with searching * Being able to analyze and judge what we get * Prioritizing * Working with silos What Everyone Wants * Support * A home * A way to get around * Possessions * Opportunity to contribute * Being valued * Freedom * Choices * Control * Predictability * The chance to learn or do new things * Feedback Key Transition Points Tied to School Beginning… * Early intervention * Preschool * Kindergarten * Middle school * High school * Post secondary More Important Transition Points * Arrival of a sibling * Mom goes to work * Going into child care * Marriage * Divorce * A sibling leaves home * Retirement * Beginning a job * Moving out * Changing a job * Moving to a new town * Aging * Dying Important Questions to Ask When Facing a Transition * What is the current situation? * What will the new situation be like? * In what ways will the new situation be different? * How do I prepare for the new situation? * Whose help do I need to prepare? * What can I take to the new situation? Example: Going to Middle School – What’s different? Currently * 2 teachers * One class most of day * Same class mates all day * Same routine each day * Time to do homework * Limited team projects In Middle School * 5 teachers * 5 different classrooms * Different classmates in some classes * Daily schedule varies * No time to do homework * Lots of team projects Middle School Example How to get ready * Visit the school and sit in on some classes * Make a list of questions * Talk to brothers, sisters, friends, and their friends about what it is like, using the questions * Take notes * Make a list of pluses and minuses * Prioritize – What can I do to be a success on the first day in Middle School * Make a tool kit [e.g., knapsack with great pockets, calendar, color coded things] Middle School Example Who Can Help * Lots of people * New teacher(s) – Could tell you what happens the first day of school…everyone gets to make a presentation * Current teacher(s) – Could secure permission to be absent from class to visit Middle School * Family – Mom could request a visit to the new school * Friends – Could help you decide what goes in your tool kit * Community groups – Could give you resources for the your presentation at the new school Middle School Example What Goes to the New School * Knowledge of what is going to happen * Things to use to be a success the first day * A tool kit that you can turn to throughout the year – to keep you organized, to remind you to do things * Great problem solving skills * Confidence – using the questions, getting the answers, taking action, taking charge What to do with what was learn: SHARE IT Current Environment/Tools * Face Book, My Space – wide open neighborhoods, where people share things about themselves * Survey monkey – a way to get answers from people on a set of questions * Interactive issue-driven web sites – Interactive Autism Network/http://www.iancommunity.org * Learning Management System/organize what is known so someone else can find and use it or/modify it based on their experience * Social Triangulation/it takes a team * Wikis/A wiki is software that allows users to collaboratively create, edit, link, and organize the content of a website, usually for reference material * Chat rooms Why Sharing in a Systematic Way Using the Web makes Sense Challenges * Finding time * Knowing where to start * Knowing what we need * Being comfortable with asking * Being competent with searching * Being able to analyze and judge what we get * Prioritizing * Working with silos * Save time * Suggestions about where to start * A way to validate and expand needs list * Learning what questions to ask * Time saver on searching * Benefit from the recommendations and experience of others * Access to many strategies – those that work and those that do not – related to specific transition points Suggestion: Create E-Clubs on Transition Points * Online interactive network on transition points * Includes neighborhood environments * Families * Individuals with disabilities * Community Supports * Is resource library and meeting place * Protected through an ID and password * Could explore funding from varied sources, e.g. foundations, government What To Share at an E-Club Devoted to Entering Middle School * Your questions * Your answers * Your priority – how and why you were a success on the first day * What you put in your tool kit * How you used your tool kit * What you learned that you didn’t know about Middle School that you wish you had known before you started Preparing and Sharing, a Different Kind of Future, the Right Outcomes * Support * Opportunity to contribute * Being valued * The chance to learn or do new things * Feedback The Big Picture E-Clubs would be dynamic gathering places Many people with similar interests & experiences Ready to share