Transition Assessment

The Transition Assessment developed by Grow is a vital tool designed to support school-aged students as they transition from school services to adult services—a significant shift that requires careful planning and preparation. Transitioning to adult services can be a challenging process, making it essential to evaluate a broad range of skills to ensure a successful adjustment. This comprehensive assessment focuses on key areas that will help prepare students for greater independence and success in their adult lives:

Vocational Skills

Assesses the student’s readiness for employment by evaluating current job skills, work habits, and interests. This helps identify potential career paths and prepares the student for meaningful employment opportunities.

Leisure Skills

Identifies the student’s interests and current recreational activities, ensuring they can engage in community-based leisure opportunities that promote a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle.

ADL/Life Skills

Assesses the student’s abilities in essential daily living tasks, such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, and financial management. The goal is to identify the critical skills needed for adult services and maximize independence, ensuring the student can manage their personal care.

Safety Skills

Focuses on the student’s knowledge and ability to navigate safety-related situations in the community, ensuring their well-being in various adult settings.

Self-Determination/Advocacy Skills

Assesses the student’s ability to make choices, express preferences, and advocate for their needs and goals. Focuses on decision-making, problem-solving, and communication skills to support independence and active participation in their transition to adult services.

Social Skills

Evaluates the student’s ability to interact effectively with peers, staff, and others in various social settings. This includes assessing skills such as initiating and maintaining conversations, understanding social cues, managing emotions, and building meaningful relationships.

Behavior

Assesses the student’s current behaviors, including but not limited to aggression, elopement, self-injury, and other challenging behaviors to gather comprehensive data to determine areas of focus for future skill development and behavior management strategies as the student transitions to adult services.

Review of Current Behavior Plan

Evaluates the effectiveness of the student’s current behavior management strategies and recommends necessary adjustments for adult services. Key changes may include fading staff support, decreasing staff-to-individual ratios, and eliminating time-out interventions in favor of more positive, person-centered approaches.

The transition assessment process gathers comprehensive information about the student’s skills, needs, and readiness for adult services. Staff will use a combination of interviews, observations, and assessment tools to create a detailed, individualized report with specific recommendations for the student’s transition. After collecting data through these methods, staff will compile the findings into a comprehensive report that includes detailed observations, skill assessments, and tailored recommendations. These recommendations will focus on areas for skill development, adjustments to behavior plans, and strategies to maximize independence in adult settings.