Home > For Parents & Families > Transition Issues > School Transitions > To Middle School
To Middle School
Roles of the Medical Home in Transition
- Continue to teach the youth about her own special health care needs and medications.
- Continue teaching self-advocacy: how and who to ask for help.
- Continue to encourage self-care; begin to encourage the youth in management of his own appointments, and ordering supplies.
- Encourage the youth to start keeping her own medical history, if appropriate.
- As age and cognition allow, continue to encourage the youth to interact directly with all care providers, including doctors, nurses, therapists, and teachers.
- Communicate with the school any changes in the youth's health status and/or needs.
- Consider adding to the IEP (Individualized Education Program)/504 goals self-management of the youth's disorder and understanding of his medications and therapies.
- Encourage the youth to participate in the school team meetings as appropriate.
- Assess the youth's strengths and career interests.
- Encourage hobbies, extracurricular activities, leisure activities, and participation in community groups.
- Refer to activities that match the youth's career interests; consider a mentor.
- Start the discussion on maturation and sexuality.
- Instruct the family to consider strategies listed at the end of this page.
Common Student Concerns
- Friends (Will I have friends?);
- Appearance (wants to be "normal");
- Much larger school environment, mobility and accessibility issues;
- Remembering which class to go to next;
- Getting to class on time;
- Finding locker, lunchroom, bathrooms, and elevators;
- Getting through the crowded halls;
- Keeping track of assignments and remembering which books to bring home;
- Getting on the right bus to go home;
- Personal safety;
- Dress/shower requirements for Physical Education;
- No recess, no free time;
- Taking medications at school and self-care, concerns about privacy; and
- More peer pressure.
Common Teacher Concerns
- Reduced parent involvement;
- How to deal with a complicated child and a large student load; and
- Safety issues (fire escape etc.)
Suggested Strategies to be Addressed with School Team*
- Inform a new school well in advance of the first day of your child's conditions and needs.
- Ask the school principal to assign someone to case-manage your child's needs and to address safety issues (such as fire escape), assessing mobility issues, toileting, locker placement, schedule, etc.
- Make arrangements with school staff regarding special health equipment storage, self-care, and toileting.
- Address mobility, health, and social issues with the principal; update the health plan with the school nurse.
- Vertify that all team members and teachers have a copy of the emergency plan.
- Attach a copy of the student's schedule inside a notebook or keep an extra copy in locker.
- Visit the new school early to locate locker, bathrooms, lunchroom and office; ask for locker change if mobility is an issue.
- Ask about assigning a peer for hallway navigation, especially if mobility is difficult.
- Teach your student to use an organizer. Help your student prioritize different class assignments.
- Talk to the bus driver about your student's needs.
- Meet with teachers to discuss health, behavior, and learning issues.
- Meet with the school team to set up a "quiet time" location if fatigue or over-stimulation are issues.
- Talk with your student about social issues before they arise. Consider role-playing to explore possible responses.
- Always encourage your student to practice self-advocacy.
- Find out about class expectations (e.g P.E., shop, food, lab, etc.) and speak with the teacher about your student's specific needs.
- Consider arranging to have a second set of text books at home.
- Encourage your student to become involved in school activities or after-school activities/clubs.
- Notify school in advance of an extended absence if possible to arrange homebound teachers.
- On return to school, update the health plan, medications, and emergency/escape plan; review both every six months.
Meet with the New School Team
Points to be Addressed in the School Plan
- Individual accommodations to assure your child can access the general curriculum, i.e. books on tape, adjusting reading level to appropriate group, etc.;
- Safety/mobility issues when scheduling classes, including accessing classroom "trailers";
- Matching realistic curriculum requirements to student's particular abilities (such as P.E. or computer keyboarding);
- Social skills, communication, appropriate academics, self-help, and self-advocacy skills;
- Health issues, such as possible adjustment of medications to coincide with hormone fluctuations or to allow longer homework time in the evening;
- Introducing idea of pre-vocational skills;
- Transition to adulthood plan should be in place by age 14 for those receiving special education services.
Parent Involvement
Resources
Information & Support
For Parents and Patients
Transition Tips for Parents of Teens with Disabilities
(
476 KB)
This pamphlet developed by Shriners Hospital for Children, also called Looking to the Future, provides information for parents
on taking care of themselves; helping teens stay physically and emotionally healthy; addressing sexuality; helping teens succeed
in school and work; teaching teens to manage their own health care; helping teens become more independent; and resources and
websites.
Transition Tips for Teens with Disabilities
( 308 KB)
This pamphlet developed by Shriners Hospital for Children, also called Looking to the Future, provides information for teens
on staying physically and emotionally healthy; taking charge of their own health care; succeeding in school; preparing for
work; getting ready for the future; and resources and websites.
Utah Parent Center
A statewide non-profit organization, founded in 1984, to provide training, information, referral and assistance to parents
of children and youth with ALL disabilities, including physical, mental, hearing, vision, learning, behavioral and emotional.
Staff consists primarily of parents of children and youth with disabilities. The Center provides information on support and
advocacy for families of children with special health care needs.
Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Alliance provides technical
assistance for state Parent Centers - Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers
(CPRCs). Provides links to local Parent Centers.
Utah State Office of Education
Provides information about Utah schools, the school board, rules, regulations, and more.
State Education Contacts and Information
From the U.S. Department of Education, links to each state's education agency.
Authors
| Contributing Authors: | Robin Pratt, 12/2005 Barbara Ward RN BS, 12/2005 Gina Pola-Money, 12/2005 Cheralyn Creer, 12/2005 Karen Ekker RN, 12/2005 Carolyn Green RN, 12/2005 Lynne Larsen-Miller, 12/2005 Elaine Pollock, 12/2005 Kathryn Post, 12/2005 Helen Post, 12/2005 Lisa Samson-Fang MD, 12/2005 |
| Reviewing Author: | Alfred Romeo RN, PhD, 11/2008 |
| Content Last Updated: | 11/2008 |