Long gone are the days when special education teachers had to make up their own curriculum to teach students with special needs, transition skills. When working with your special education team, ensure there is proper curriculum and assessment being provided to your student. A Life Centered Education is one which students learn to function as independent and productive individuals in the home, community, and workplace. The goal of the transition plan should be to “focus on what the student can do.” The services should be focused on providing instruction and experiences that facilitate the application of the student’s strengths.
When I walk into a classroom to observe a student or program, I am usually accompanied by an administrator. The first question I have is, “what curriculum does this teacher use to teach these adolescent students?” It’s probably no surprise that in many instances, the administrator will, at best, reply with “News-To-You,” or “Touch Math,” or “Key Math.” Although these programs may be appropriate for students in the classroom, there rarely is a curriculum that encompasses the entire day for the student. For example, what teaching/instructional curriculum guides the student out in the community and the home?
There are plenty of resources out there, however one seems to be developed with “best practices” in mind for the student. According to the Counsel on Exceptional Children (CEC): The LCE curriculum provides you with a complete framework of objectives, lesson plans, fact sheets and worksheets that cover three critical domains of adult living in the 21st century – daily living skills, self-determination and interpersonal skills, and employment skills
Take Home Points:
- Request a meaningful “Student Centered Transition Assessment” for your Child at age 14-15.
- Educators: Demand Curriculum for your instruction.
- Ask what Transition Curriculum is being used to educate your child.
- Demand that one be in place, and where you can read about it.
- Work with your team to develop meaningful and measurable transition goals.
Below is a Link to the CEC Curriculum which we believe is comprehensive and can be individualized to each student.
