Monthly Archives: May 2017

IEP Transition Goals: Preparing Your Teenager to be a Young Adult

Preparing for life as a young adult is challenging for any high school student — which couldn’t be truer for students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). That’s why transition plans are accessible to all students with an IEP.

Transition plans help teenagers prepare for young adulthood not just in terms of education, but life in general. They involve setting IEP transition goals based on career and life aspirations, defining the activities necessary to reach those goals, and connecting the student with any necessary resources and services along the way.

In this article, we will explain more about what transition plans are, what’s involved in setting IEP transition goals and provide advice on how to create an effective plan for a successful transition into young adulthood.

What is An IEP Transition Plan

A transition plan is a requirement of a student’s IEP, as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Law requires that students with an IEP are entitled to transition planning services as part of the first IEP that goes into effect when the student turns 16.

While a transition plan is required to go into effect no later than the age of 16, the planning process can begin much earlier than that. The student and the IEP team can begin working together on building the plan when the student is 15, 14, or whenever is deemed necessary.

The purpose of creating IEP transition goals is to ensure the teen’s final high school years are relevant to their future plans. The student and the IEP team will set postsecondary goals based on the teen’s aptitudes, abilities, and personal goals for their life after high school.

Parents and teens are very much involved in the process of creating the transition plan. In fact, with the goal being to prepare a teen to become an independent young adult, the child will be encouraged to play a leading role in the development of their transition plan.

Transition plans are an ongoing process. That means progress toward achieving IEP transition goals will be monitored. Data will be collected and assessments will be made which could lead to adjustments to the plan.

Setting IEP Transition Goals

Setting measurable, realistic, and attainable transition goals starts with focusing on a student’s strengths and talents, and figuring out what they want to do with those after high school. Goals should also be designed to teach a student more about independent living skills.

It helps to start by setting a career goal and then working backward to figure out what the student will need to get there. This can include postsecondary training, required high school courses, supports needed along the way, etc.

As part of setting transition goals, it’s also a requirement to list which services are required to help the child reach those goals. Specific transition planning programs students can participate in will vary depending on your county and school district.

We’ll provide you with some examples, but for exact information on the types of transition programs available in your area check with your Department of Education.

Examples of Transition Planning Programs

School-to-Work: This program prepares students with disabilities for obtaining employment. This can include learning how to find a job, how to interview for a job, how to keep a job, and so on.
Internships: Through internships at participating employers, students may be able to obtain practical on-the-job skills.
Transition Partnership Project: This program provides students with the service coordination, job development, and job coaching required to obtain paid employment related to a specific goal.
Adult Transition Programs: These are offered to students over the age of 17 and emphasize teaching the student more about independent living and being self-sufficient.

Other resources may include local youth employment programs, summer jobs for youth programs, and local vocational centers offering training for specific occupations.

Assisting Your Child With IEP Transition Goals

In addition to the services and programs your child is entitled to have access to, there are a number of things you as a parent can do to help your child transition into adulthood.

For example, assigning weekly chores and daily responsibilities can help prepare your child for living independently. As a parent, you can also teach your child how to manage money, how to cook their own meals, how to schedule their time and keep appointments, how to get from point A to point B, and so on.

Encourage your child to network with older relatives to learn more about their careers. If and when your child has a career goal in mind, look into visiting potential colleges and workplaces.

Conclusion

IEP transition goals should be designed to create a concrete action plan for postsecondary success in school and day-to-day life. If you would like to learn more about your child’s talents and strengths as the starting point for their IEP transition plan, we encourage you to have them try some of our free games which explore the full range of a child’s multiple intelligences.

Verbal-Linguistic Learner

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Part 7 of 8 in our Blog Series on Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Verbal linguistic learning style is contained in Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences as one of the 8 different learning styles. Those who have this learning style excel at reasoning, solving problems, and learning using language.

The verbal-linguistic learner prefers a style that involves both the written and spoken word. Those who have this learning style find it easy to express themselves, both verbally and in the written form. Simply put, they love reading and writing.

They would rather solve a math word problem than solve an equation. Math isn’t really their thing anyway though, they would much rather be absorbed in a written project, speech and drama classes, debates, journalism, and language classes.

A verbal-linguistic learner likes to eat up words in all of their many uses, such as in tongue twisters, rhymes, and limericks. This type of learner digs deep beneath the surface to discover the meaning of many words, and are obsessed with learning new words to add to their vocabulary.

This type of learner is naturally fascinated by words and language, so even if a verbal-linguistic learner is not being pushed hard enough in school you can find them pushing themselves in other ways. Usually in the form of poetry or songwriting.

One of the traits of this type of learner is using recently learned words and phrases they have picked up, in conversations with others. They are good listeners and have a great ear for picking up and recalling new information, especially if that new information has to do with words.

Teaching a Verbal-Linguistic Learner

Make Everything More Verbal: If you are teaching a verbal-linguistic learner, you should only be using techniques that involve written or verbal communication. Whenever possible, find ways to add more speaking and writing when performing routine techniques.

Show and Tell: If you’re showing a verbal-linguistic learner how to do something, it would help them if you talked yourself through the various steps; including what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and why it is being done in that order.
Understand Their Learning Style: The number one thing you can do as a teacher is take the time to understand each individual child’s learning style. As a result, he or she may have some career options in mind that are different from what you had envisioned.
Potential Career Choices: Verbal-linguistic learners are naturally drawn to the following types of careers:
- English teacher
- Professional writer
- News correspondent
- Attorney
- Publicist
- Advertising agent
- Psychologist
- Speech pathologist
- Editorial

Could you see your child in any of the above careers? With their type of learning style and natural ability to excel at reading and writing, they’re already at a natural competitive advantage.

Use these tips to help your child excel in school by learning in a way where they feel most comfortable. If you would like to learn more about your child’s learning style, we encourage you to have them try some of our free games which explores the full range of a child’s multiple intelligences.

The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on IQ testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults.

This is part 7 in our blog series covering all 8 of Howard Gardner’s proposed 8 intelligences. Click here to view Part 6.

Is Vaping Better Than Smoking?

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Is Vaping Better Than Smoking?

The increase in e-cigarette use, particularly among young people, is a dangerous trend with real health risks. For many reasons, e-cigarettes should not be promoted as a safe alternative to smoking.

While fewer people are smoking or starting to smoke than ever before, many are using other forms of tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems. The increase in e-cigarette use (also called vaping) by kids and young people in recent years is a serious public health threat.

The battery-operated devices come in many forms and can look like conventional cigarettes, pens or even sleek tech gadgets. Users inhale and exhale a vapor-like aerosol. This way of taking in nicotine poses health risks to both users and non-users.

Many downsides. Few potential upsides.

E-cigarette promoters claim the devices can help people quit smoking. But much more evidence is needed to determine if they are an effective way to quit. Research suggests that users are more likely to continue smoking along with vaping, which is referred to as “dual use.”

The American Heart Association recommends proven methods to successfully quit smoking.

Many people think vaping is less harmful than smoking. While it’s true that e-cigarette aerosol doesn’t include all the contaminants in tobacco smoke, it still isn’t safe. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

Most e-cigarettes deliver nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm the developing brains of teens, kids and fetuses in women who vape while pregnant. Some types expose users to even more nicotine than traditional cigarettes.
In addition to nicotine, e-cigarette vapor includes potentially harmful substances such as diacetyl (a chemical linked to a serious lung disease), cancer-causing chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead. Users breathe in these toxic contaminants, and non-users nearby risk secondhand exposure.
The liquid used in e-cigarettes can be dangerous, even apart from its intended use. Children and adults have been poisoned by swallowing, breathing or absorbing the liquid through their skin or eyes.
E-cigarettes have been linked to thousands of cases of serious lung injury, some resulting in death. While the exact cause is still not confirmed, the CDC recommends that people not use e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes’ biggest threat to public health may be this: The increasing popularity of vaping may “re-normalize” smoking, which has declined for years. Reversing the hard-won gains in the global effort to curb smoking would be catastrophic. Smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death and is responsible for 480,000 American lives lost each year.

A threat to kids and young people.

Tobacco companies want to hook a new generation on nicotine and smoking. Get the best deals at vaprzon.

They spent more than $8.6 billion on aggressive marketing in 2017 alone. That’s more than $23 million each day and almost $1 million every hour!
Nearly 80% of middle and high school students — that’s 4 out of 5 kids — were exposed to e-cigarette advertising in 2016.
E-cigarettes are now the most common form of tobacco use by kids and teens. In 2018, use by high school students in the U.S. doubled from the previous year.
Many young people say they’ve tried e-cigarettes in part because of the appealing flavors. More than 80% of teen users say their first e-cigarette product was flavored.

More effort and research are needed.

The Surgeon General called e-cigarette use among young people a “public health concern.” The American Heart Association shares that view. That’s why we advocate for stronger regulations that:

Include e-cigarettes in smoke-free laws.
Regulate and tax e-cigarettes in the same way as all other tobacco products.
Remove all flavors, including menthol, which make these products more appealing to kids and young people.
Enforce the new federal law that raised the minimum age for sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years.

The AHA supports maintaining the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory authority over e-cigarettes along with other tobacco products.