Is your child with autism in high school and facing transition, within the next few years? Are you concerned that your child, has not received functional skills to help them with the rest of their life? This article will be discussing transition from high school to adult hood, and what you need to know about functional skills for your child.
Many children with disabilities do not receive an appropriate amount of functional skills training throughout their school years. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, requires school districts to give present levels of functional performance, on your child’s IEP. If your child tests below age level in functional skills, ask for functional skill training.
IDEA 2004 also states that the purpose of the act is to prepare children with disabilities for independent living.
A wonderful book entitled: Functional Curriculum for Elementary, Middle and Secondary Age Students With Special Needs, has a lot of information about functional skills. This book is edited by Paul Wehman and John Kregal. This book states that critical areas of independent living are: Career Education and Work, community living, safety, transportation, home living skills, activities of daily living, financial planning and management, and recreation.
In planning for your child’s transition these are the things to keep in mind:
Mild Disability: Child needs some extra help to get to the same level with others in most academic areas. 1. The child may need significant planning time with school counselor, on options for schooling beyond high school. 2. Planned extended community college experience. 3. Part time employment before leaving school. 4. Some volunteer experiences.
Moderate Disability: Child needs more substantial help in one or more academic area. May need help with behavioral issues also. 1. Focused efforts on career/trade/skill training. 2. Work experience at different work sites. 3. Part time employment in place before leaving school. 4. Any supports for employment should be in place also, to prevent the child from losing their job.
Severe Disability: Child needs support most of time to complete any area of life skills. 1. Much time should be spent receiving training in community sites, 2. Functional skill training should also be given. 3. Work experience in community. 4. Job in community before graduation. 5. Supports for the job in the community before graduation. 6. Links to adult services in the community should be in place before graduation.
An important thing to keep in mind about functional skills, is how important it is that the skills are trained on a daily basis in the places, where they occur. This is why it is important to include community training in any functional skill curriculum.
For Example: Tooth brushing could be taught after lunch, in school or in the community. Money skills could be taught at a grocery store or department store. Learning how to use the bus would be taught on your community bus system.
Children with moderate to severe disabilities should also be given recreation options in the community.
By learning what you need to know about transition and functional skills training, you will be able to help your child.
By: JoAnn Collins
Posts Tagged ‘Functional Skills’
What You Need to Know About Functional Skills and Transition in Special Education
December 29th, 2009Importance of Vocational Skills and How to Get Them For Your Child
December 17th, 2009
Does your child have a moderate to severe disability? Are you concerned about your child with autism’s life after school? Would you like your child to receive vocational services so that they may be employed as an adult? This article will discuss importance of vocational skills for all children with disabilities, so that they can be employed as an adult.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that the purpose of IDEA is to: ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education, that emphasizes special education and related services, designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living.
So according to IDEA it requires that students be given services that will prepare them for…employment. As an advocate for over 15 years I have had many special education personnel deny children vocational services, that I was advocating for. I have also heard from many other parents whose child was also denied vocational services.
The first place to start is to request, in writing, a Functional Vocational Assessment. This assessment will help to determine what particular skills that your child has, and how those skills can be used in a work setting. This assessment should be done by a person that has experience performing these assessment, and should have experience with children or adults with disabilities.
The information to be gathered is to include the child’s work and school history, learning style, work related skills, work endurance, academics, or functional academics, and the ability to follow directions. Information that is also important is your child’s communication skills, social skills, interaction skills, behavior difficulties, mobility, medical needs, fine and gross motor skills, transportation, and your child’s functional skills.
Another important area to be determined is your child’s preferences and strengths. You may have to figure out what your child enjoys, if they are not able to tell you themselves.
The information is received from as many different people as is possible, so that the assessment will be complete. The person performing the assessment should also observe your child in their school environment. This is to allow the person to get to know your child, and make their report more effective.
After the vocational assessment is complete, the person who conducted the evaluation should write a detailed report. Also, have the person participate in the Individual Educational Plan (IEP) meeting to discuss the results, by telephone. That way, you and the special education personnel can ask any questions to clarify what skills your child needs to be taught to be able to get a job.
At the IEP meeting you should write up specific Vocational services, that your child will receive to help them prepare for a job. Also to be discussed, is what skills your child has or needs to be taught, to be job ready. Don’t forget to write vocational goals also. The skills should be in writing, with goals on teaching the skills.
Remember to consider skills that your child already has. For example: If your child knows how to do some minor housework that can be used to get a job in a restaurant or hotel. My daughter Angelina was taught to fold towels, in her high school community based functional curriculum class. The next year she had a job folding towels in the high school pool area. Another student I know used to take out the garbage at home, and was given a job in the school emptying the garbage.
Vocational skills are critical for children with disabilities, no matter how severe the disability. Children or adults with job skills, can work in their community, as well as become an active member of that community. My daughter Angelina has a severe disability, and works at a local college part time. She loves her job, and the students at the college love her too! She is an active and happy member of our community.
By: JoAnn Collins
What Are Functional Skills And Why Does My Child With A Disability Need Them?
December 17th, 2009
Are you concerned that your child with a disability is not learning
academics at a grade and age level pace? Have you thought that your
child may benefit from a curriculum of functional skills? Would you
like to learn about a resource that can help you learn more about
functional curriculums for your child in special education? This
article will discuss functional skills, functional academics, why your
child with a disability needs them, and a resource for more
information.
Functional skills are defined as skills that can be used everyday, in
different environments. Functional skills focus on different areas
such as home (cooking, cleaning etc) family, self help skills
(bathing, brushing teeth, dressing, grooming), employment, recreation,
community involvement, health, and functional academics. All students
with disabilities will benefit from functional skill training, to help
them in their adult life.
Functional academics are also important for children with
disabilities, who may not be able to learn age and grade appropriate
academics. Functional academics are defined as academic areas that
will be used by the student for the rest of their life. For example:
Reading (read signs; stop, go, mens, womens, read a recipe). Math
(money, grocery shopping, making change, budget). Health (grooming,
oral hygiene, plan healthy meals). A wonderful resource to learn more
about functional skills, and functional curriculums to help children
with special needs is the book entitled Functional Curriculum for
Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Age Students with Special Needs.
The book is Edited by Paul Wehman and John Kregal, and is a resource
that you will use again and again.
Your child with a disability needs functional skills because these
skills will have meaning for your child, and will help them be as
independent as possible, as an adult. For example: Every child eats,
and being able to cook or prepare simple foods will help them be more
independent. If children learn simple household chores, these skills
can be turned into job skills when they get older. For example: My
daughter Angelina, who has a severe disability, learned how to fold
towels when she was in elementary school. When Angelina entered high
school she had a job folding towels at the high school pool. Because
Angelina already had the functional skill of folding towels, the
transition to a job folding towels was pretty easy. Angelina also
learned that when she worked hard folding towels, she was paid. On pay
day, she was able to spend the money that she made at her job.
Learning functional skills that can be turned into work is critical
for all children with disabilities. They will gain pride by being able
to work, and will understand the connection between work and money.
By learning what functional skills are and why they are important,
will help your child as they grow into adulthood. Do not be afraid to
bring up functional skill training for your child, when you are
participating in IEP meetings. Your child is depending on you to help
them be a happy fulfilled adult!
By: JoAnn Collins
