Where do we go from here?

One of the challenges of educating young adults with significant disabilities is knowing where to go next. As students approach the end of an entitlement to special education and move, as one parent put it, "from the cruise ship to the life raft" in terms of services, what precisely do we want to be sure we teach them? What are the most important things they need to master to have maximum function in post-school placements? This becomes even more difficult when you are thinking about an individual who is significantly physically involved with medical and communication disabilities.

Here are some of the things that seem most important to me:

• communication especially yes/no/I don't know, choice making, direction of personal care, communicating in an emergency, an ability to "tell" if something happens that they need assistance with (mistreatment, etc), an ability to retell events in the day, asking for assistance, communicating about feelings, the ability to communicate medical problems (seizures, empty medication or feeding pump, etc)
  
• leisure/social skills especially participation in the types of activities that are the mainstay of adult "day habs" such as table top games, cooking, music and movement/dancing, bowling, arts and crafts - if motor skills limit participation then the communication skills to direct those in the role of helping with the task
• self care and well being such as feeding, hygiene, toileting and if motor skills limit participation then the awareness skills to know what needs to be done when and the communication skills to direct their care
• quality of life including self knowledge about likes and dislikes, the ability to be flexible and deal with changes, the ability to connect with staff and peers and also to tolerate/work with non-preferred staff and peers, the ability to request favorite activities, people and interactions, the ability to tolerate changes in peers and staff (staff turn over)
  

So basically it all comes back to communication, at least in my mind. What do you think?