Transition is the move from school life to adult life. It is the biggest change your family will plan for, and it rewards an early start more than almost anything else in special education. Here is the shape of it, by age.
At 14: start the conversation
- Talk about life after school in ordinary conversation, not as a warning.
- Build daily living skills at home: laundry, simple cooking, tidying, money basics.
- Ask the school how transition planning works in your district and who leads it.
- Keep every evaluation and report. Adult services will ask for this history.
At 16: planning becomes formal
- Federal law requires transition planning in the IEP by age 16. Goals should point at real adult outcomes: work, further learning, and independent living.
- Explore work experience and vocational rehabilitation. In Arkansas, that conversation includes Arkansas Rehabilitation Services.
- Practice independence in low stakes ways: travel, appointments, speaking in meetings.
- Start adult services conversations early. Eligibility and waitlists do not move at family speed.
At 18: adulthood arrives on paper too
- Your young adult becomes a legal adult. Decisions about decision making support belong with a qualified lawyer, taken before the birthday, not after.
- Healthcare, benefits, and banking all change shape. Line up the professionals for each, one at a time.
- Rehearse independence: a week of real routines your young adult runs, with you nearby but not in charge.
The cliff, and how families avoid it
School services end at graduation or age 22. Adult services begin with applications. The gap between those two facts is called the services cliff, and the bridge across it is built in the teen years, one plank at a time. At Heritage High School in Rogers, I spent years as a transition and family guide doing exactly this work. In coaching, we turn it into yearly steps your family can actually finish.