Transitioning to Adulthood

The Dup15q Adult Life Committee, made up of parents whose children have already transitioned or those who have knowledge of transitioning into adulthood, developed/researched resources and strategies that will help families achieve successful outcomes. They identified the aspects that are most critical and gained a better understanding of the various transition aspects as they are anticipated and/or experienced by Dupers and their Families.

Tips from the Adult Life Committee

• Start looking in your communities for transition programs around age 15/16. (Adult living, day programs, rec programs)
• Every time you talk to someone you will learn something. 
• You can cultivate contacts and information as you go. The earlier you go the better. 
• Reach out to other families in your community that have adult children with disabilities, they can help you navigate resources in your community.
• Start cultivating friendship groups for your child. Learning leisure activities is so important.
• As your child is coming up to the transition years, create a “Visual Resume” to share with potential programs. (your child’s school can help with this) Many programs will do an interview with your family.
• If you were to choose any skill to focus on in the teen years it should be understanding and communicating Yes/No. This opens up a world of choices and independence for your child. 
• Never give up hope.

Free Online Education Course

Our friends at BrainRecovery Project are offering a free, self-paced, online course that will take a deep dive and learn about all the steps you need to take to build your child’s education transition plan. Transitioning to adulthood can be a challenging time for youth with neurological challenges. Includes special content specific to 1) youth with epilepsy; 2) youth who have had epilepsy surgery; 3) youth with multiple, significant disabilities.

Adult Transition Resources