PART 1: 4 Hallmarks of Exceptional Transition Education for Students on the Autism Spectrum

4 Hallmarks of Exceptional Transition Education for

Students on the Autism Spectrum

Bill Mulcahy – Assistant Principal, League School or Greater Boston

 

The League School of Greater Boston is a model of Best Practice in Transition Education. We are a “best practice” school because of our ability to effectively integrate four important elements: a program team model, vocational programming, transitional planning, and a partnership for the transition process.  In this series of blog posts, we will take a closer look at each.

 

(Part 1 of 4) A Comprehensive Team Model

League School is organized into three Programs:  the Foundations/Content Teaching Life Skills Program, the Transition Program, and the Pathfinders Program. Each program team consists of teachers, an occupational therapist, a speech and language pathologist, a clinician, a behavior specialist, a program coordinator, a BCBA, a part-time physical therapist, residential staff if applicable, and vocational staff for our older students. Our model provides for common planning time, proactive communication, and weekly professional development and training related to the students’ needs. We also provide annual off-site visits for our staff to post-22 sites, schools, and colleges to educate and inform our staff about post-22 opportunities for our students, and then have them share this information with the rest of the faculty.

These talented individuals combine their impressive skill sets to form a Team Model that works well.  Our next blog will address the second important element in the process, Vocational Programming.