Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Transition Planning Chapter Six
Vandercook, T. & York, J. The McGill
Action Planning System (MAPS): A
Strategy for Building the Vision,
Centre for Integrated Education,
University of Minnesota.
Falvey, M., Forest, M., Pearpoint, J.,
& Rosenberg, R. (1997). All My Life’s
a Circle: Using the Tools: Circles,
MAPS & PATHS, Inclusion Press
For more information on transitions,
see Freeze, D. (1995) Promoting
Successful Transition for Students with
Special Needs.
Geneva Centre, (1994). Transitions:
Coping Strategies for Individuals with
Autism and P.D.D.
Pratt, C. (1997) “Transitions: Preparing
for a lifetime,” in Autism Training
Sourcebook.
The initial questions to ask are: What does the individual want
to do in the next few years, in the next 10 years, by the time she/he
is 30 years old, and what skills will be required for him/her to achieve
these outcomes?
Transition goals and strategies should be developed through a
meeting of the Student Services team. There are a variety of tools or
processes for conducting such a meeting. One approach is to develop
a PATH (PATH refers to Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope)
or conduct a MAPS meeting (MAPS refers to the McGill Action
Planning System.)
PATH is a tool used to plan action for moving people into a more
positive and possible future. It is an eight step process in thinking
backwards:
• Touching the dream/vision
• Sensing the goal: focus for the next year
• Grounding in the now: where am I/are we?
• Identifying people to embark on the journey
• Recognizing ways to build strength
• Charting actions for the next few months
• Planning the next month’s work
• Committing to the first step (next step)
Role of school personnel
The role of the school personnel in helping the student prepare for
transition out of the school system is to continue to provide opportunities
for the student to develop skills for work and independent living
consistent with the student’s strengths and needs.
The range of expectations depends on the student’s ability and needs.
For example, some students with ASD may plan to go on to further
education or training following secondary school. Consequently, there
will be a greater emphasis on academic preparation, in addition to
work experience and development of job-related skills and skills for
leisure and recreation. For others, the program may focus on work
experience, community-based training, and self-care.
Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders 79