I invite you to visit this Prezi presentation titled “Student” that I created for my first EdHCT course at UF.

I have learned, and continue to learn, so much and am becoming more aware of the needs of students with whom I work. I also continue to grow excited, knowing that I am on a voyage to improve the lives of students! I see the union of the health care profession of which I am a proud practitioner (Occupational Therapy) with the setting that I love working (Education), to prepare students to achieve their utmost levels of independence possible in post-secondary education, vocational training and/or community participation- wherever their lives take them!
Here is the written summary project for my Prezi, from Summer 2015:
The Education Health Care Transition Model:
For the Benefits of Students with Special Health Care Needs
Kathleen T. Harris
University of Florida
In this illustration, the student is represented by a tree, the Education- Health Care Transition (Ed-HCT) team is symbolized by the root system providing the foundation from which to grow, and the family provides nutrition and support for the student and the Ed-HCT team. The results are represented by the fruit on the tree, that the student continues to produce successfully after leaving the public school system. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide services to more than 6.5 million eligible children (IDEA, 2015).
Every year, more than half a million young people who have been identified as having a disability leave school (U.S. Department of Education [USDOE] 2007f). All leave behind the IDEA entitlement to free appropriate public education (FAPE) when they make the transition to the adult system (Lollar, 2010).
The Transition Planning Team provides collaboration of the General Education, the Exceptional Student Education, and Health Care Teams. From age 16 (in some states 14) until he finishes school, the student’s IEP must address transition planning. The IEP team must determine what instruction/services will help the student prepare for transition from school to adult life (Lollar, 2010).
The integrated Ed-HCT model allows the teams to come together to ensure a smooth, seamless transition plan for the student to successfully continue to post-secondary education, vocational training, health care independence, and employment and/ or community involvement. In this model, the whole student benefits from the work of the teams to enable him to grow and produce the fruit of a successful life, with success being personalized for each student individually.
The Student – The student is the most important member of the transition team. Listed with the student are several key roles that the student plays in transition planning.
The Family Unit – It is the family unit that supplies the nutrition/support to the whole process. The family unit is with the student in transition planning and remains with him as he leaves the public school system.
General Education and Exceptional Student Education – For the student’s future to be successful, he needs a firm foundation, a root system that allows him to grow into all he can become. The IDEA law provides intervention for students with Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) . Infants and toddlers (birth -2) receive early intervention under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (3-21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B (IDEA, 2015).
This is where the general education team combines with the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) team, in the school setting.
Health Care Team- An important role in the life of a student with SHCN is filled by the health care team, for assistance to the student in health care issues while at school and for training for health care understanding leading to his independence.
The fruit of the Ed-HCT team’s transition planning: Postsecondary Education/ Vocational Training, Health Care Independence, Healthy Choices in Daily Life, Living/Residential Arrangements, Transportation Arrangements, Employment Opportunities, and Community Participation. Each is discussed individually in its separate slide.
Use of this visual representation:
This illustration will serve as an educational tool to transition team members, to explain the needed collaboration of a student’s educational teams and health care team. It demonstrates how both professional groups working together meet the needs of the student in transition planning more completely for a successful preparation towards life to achieve his potential, with maximal independence as possible after leaving the high school setting. It demonstrates that this is person-centered planning, as the student is the focal point of the plan along with his family. The symbolism used brings together the student with the variety of stakeholders in his life and future. It also illustrates the many facets of life that need attention and preparation during his training, and that all are equally important to achieve success. This includes his potential post-secondary training and employment/ community involvement, as well as his need for independent self-care and health-care awareness. This visual tool is usable for the array of members of the transition team, and illustrates well how the planning, training and cooperation of all the team will best prepare the student (and family) for his future.
For support, sample Evidenced Based Practice (EBP) reports are provided:
EBP1: Evidenced-based practices in secondary transition: Self-determination skills, student knowledge of transition planning have been established by the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center, to research functional life skills and health care awareness in daily tasks (2015).
EBP 2: Evidence-based practices organized by skill being taught: 1. Student-Focused Planning. This category includes practices in the areas of IEP development, student participation in planning, and planning strategies. 2. Student Development. This category includes strategies in the areas of life skills instruction, career and vocational curricula, structured work experience, assessment, and support services. 3. Family Involvement. This category includes practices in family training, family involvement, and family empowerment. 4. Program Structure. This category includes practices in program philosophy, policy and evaluation, strategic planning, resource allocation, and human resource development. (National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center, 2015).
EBP 3: What Works Transition Research Synthesis Project (funded by Office of Special Education Programs [OSEP]) reviewed and synthesized 20 years of research in the area of transition for youth with disabilities (Sitlington et al., 2010).
EBP 4: Evidence-Based Secondary Transition Predictors for Improving Postschool Outcomes for Students with Disabilities- The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the secondary transition correlational literature to identify in-school predictors of improved postschool outcomes in the areas of education, employment, and/or independent living for students with disabilities. Based on results of this review, 16 evidence-based, in-school predictors of postschool outcomes were identified. Of the 16 predictors, 4 (25%) predicted improved outcomes in all three postschool outcome areas, 7 (43.8%) predicted improved outcomes for only postschool education and employment, and 5 (31.3%) predicted improved outcomes for employment only. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed. (Thinkcollege, 2009)
EBP 5: Evidenced Based Practices that Promote Transition to Postsecondary Education: This practice included studies that (a) asked students with disabilities to identify needs and (b) summarized needs in literature reviews about students with disabilities in postsecondary education. This article summarizes needs and recommendations from college students with disabilities and authors who reviewed related literature from 1995-2006. The summary includes needs in five areas: self-determination, social skills, academic preparation, accommodations, and assistive technology (AT). Each of these areas of need is described and recommendations for practice are discussed. The purpose of this article is to identify a set of evidence-based transition practices that will address these needs and increase the likelihood of success for students who enroll in postsecondary education institutions (Webb, Patterson, Syverud & Seabrooks-Blackmore, 2008).
EBP 6: Evidence-Based Practice in Educating Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children: Teaching to Their Cognitive Strengths and Needs. This practice examined research findings concerning the loci of the pervasive academic underachievement among deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and issues associated with interventions and instructional methods that could help to reduce or eliminate it. Investigators have hypothesized that at least 50% of the variability in DHH students’ achievement may be because of instructional factors, and several studies have indicated that when taught by experienced teachers of the deaf in mixed classrooms, DHH students may gain just as much as their hearing peers. Only recently, however, have findings begun to emerge concerning related language and cognitive differences between DHH and hearing students as well as instructional differences between teachers with and without experience in teaching DHH students. Building on convergent evidence from such studies offers the prospect of a significant improvement in academic outcomes for those children in the future. (Marschark, M., Spencer, P., Adams, J. & Sapere, 2011).
References
ADA: the law. (2015). Laws and Regulations. Retrieved from http://www.ada.gov
AHEAD. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.ahead.org
DeFur, S. (2011, February). Transition planning: A team effort. Education.com. Retrieved from http://education.com
Disability. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.disability.gov
Disabled-world.com. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.disabled-world.com
Evidenced-based practices in secondary transition: Self-determination skills, student knowledge of transition planning. (2015). National Secondary Transition Technical Center. University of North Carolina- Charlotte. Retrieved from http://www.nsttac.org
Evidenced-based practices organized by skill being taught. (2015). National Secondary Transition Technical Center. University of North Caroline-Charlotte. Retrieved from http://nsttac.org
Floridahats. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.floridahats.org
Glossary of Terms: Evidence-based practice. (2015, April). In Effective Health Care Program. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Rockville, MD. Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov
IDEA.ed.gov. (2015). Retrieved from http://idea.ed.gov
Lollar, D. (2010). Launching into Adulthood. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Marschark, M., Spencer, P., Adams, J. & Sapere. (2011, February). European Journal of Special Needs Education, v26 n1. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov
Olmstead: Community Integration for Everyone. (2015). About Olmstead. Retrieved from http://www.ada.gov
Project 10 Transition education network. (2015). Retrieved from http://project10.info
Rudy, L. (2012, March). Building a transition plan. Autism After Sixteen. Retrieved from
http://www.autismafter16.com
Sitlington, P., Neubert, D., & Clark, G. (2010). Transition education and services for students with disabilities (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
The ticket to work and self sufficiency (ticket). (2015). Retrieved from https://yourtickettowork.com/web/ttw/home
ThinkCollege. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.thinkcollege.net
Health in the Individualized Education Plan. (2011, June). Adolescent Health Transition Project, Center on Human Development and Disability, Washington State Department of Health, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs. p.3.
Webb, K., Patterson, K., Syverud, S., & Seabrooks-Blackmore, J. (2008, October). Exceptionality, v16 n4. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov