LTC Quarterly Newsletter

February 2022


People cooking in their home; Lifespan Transitions Center; What's New?

NEW: Take 5 Videos

  • Charting the Life Course:

    Launch into person-centered evidence-based tools that can help any youth navigate and choose the life they want to have. See success stories and how other teams are using the free tools.

  • How2Life App:

    Learn about a new app that helps youth learn skills through short modules covering anti-bullying, emotional well-being, and wellness.

  • Free Resources and Tips for New Parents from an Autistic Parent:

    Connect with a community, find your people. Learn about four free resources every new parent should know about.

  • Alternatives to Guardianship:

    Supported Decision Making, Part 1: Investigate why it’s important to consider alternatives to guardianship. Consider the continuum of supports for daily and financial decisions.

  • Rights of People under Guardianship, Part 2:

    Discover individuals with disabilities’ rights and how they can cultivate dignity and respect when they are making decisions about their life.

NEW: What Works for Work Surveys

Looking for evidence-based strategies to work with adults and youth? Need credit? Explore What Works for Work! New surveys to test your content knowledge after completing a What Works for Work session have been added. Once completed and passed, users will receive a certificate noting the content knowledge acquired, which can be taken to a licensing agency for CEUs.

Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) Blueprint Award Recipient

OCALI’s Lifespan Transitions Center was chosen through a competitive process to help DODD support their new Blueprint for Adult Day and Employment Services recommendations. The purpose of this project is for the development of training curricula, materials, tools, and resources related to new and modified adult day, employment, and transportation services and rules with an emphasis on tailoring materials to people with I/DD and their families. Stay tuned over the coming year as new tools and resources are released.

UPDATED: Vocabulary Crosswalk

Words can get in the way! Transition teams consistently identify poor communication as a barrier to collaboration and successful transition planning among multi-agency teams. Agency words and terms can lead to misunderstanding, limit discussions, and prevent collaboration. Families and youth can gain awareness of terms and language frequently used across agency partners through the use of the Vocabulary Crosswalk reference tool. Explore Crosswalk.

LTC Favorites

Early Planning Pilot Webpage Launches

The Employment First Task Force recognizes that collaborating and planning for a person’s success as they transition into adulthood is critical, and the earlier families and partners begin thinking about what adulthood may look like, the more prepared young people are for what lies ahead. The Lifespan Transitions Center has launched an Early Planning Pilot to help teams engage in these conversations earlier–in elementary school–to support students to reach their post-school goals. Visit the webpage to participate in our Early Planning Pilot survey and check the Universal Supports for engaging in Early Planning with your students with disabilities. Learn more.

People looking across a skyline; Lifespan Transitions Center; The Journey: A Free Webinar Series;

February 28, 2022, 2:30 p.m.
Charting the LifeCourse Tools for Transition Assessment and Planning

Charting the LifeCourse is a simple and effective framework to help individuals and families of all abilities and all ages develop a vision for a good life, think about what they need to know and do, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live. In this session, you will learn how to use Charting the LifeCourse tools to:

  • Engage students and their families in transition assessment and planning
  • Acquire data to assist in completing the IEP, ISP and IPE
  • Ensure that education and service planning aligns with each youth’s desired outcomes for adult life

Learn more and register.

March 28, 2022, 2:30 p.m.
Functional Behavior Assessment for Youth with Complex Needs – Beyond A-B-C

Youth with complex and intensive needs often present with distressed behaviors that are difficult to understand. A Functional Behavior Assessment or FBA is helpful to determine the root cause of these distressed behaviors, however, the assessment must take into multiple factors . Join us for a discussion of the type of FBA that goes below the surface and beyond the typical Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence model. Resources to assist in this process will be introduced.

Learn more and register.

Recording Available: What Educators Need (and Want) to Know About Medication

Many youth today are using medications to assist in their ability to function more successfully in the home, school and community. While medications can be a positive support for learning and participating in school activities, side effects can occur that range from mild discomfort to very serious. It is important for educators to understand the intended positive outcomes of medication use, as well as the unintended side effects that can occur. Join Dr. Sara Dugan as she offers insights into frequently prescribed medications and what teachers should be aware of as they teach and support students using these medications.

Watch recording.

Recording Available: Using our MAP to Guide Transition-Aged Students in their Journey to Achieve Post-School Outcomes

Follow the journey of one multi-agency, county-based team as they collaborate to empower youth and young adults with disabilities in their transition from school to adulthood. Learn more about the services and programs from middle school through age 22 available in the county’s schools and programs.

Watch recording.