TRANSITION TO ADULT SERVICES - SUPPORT FOR ONGOING PARENT PARTICIPATION

In this article we discuss five strategies that special educators can use to support parents and young adults with disabilities in making a successful transition into adulthood. These strategies recognize socio historical context, the impact of stressors on parents, and the burnou t experienced by some parents of young adults with disabilities. These five strategies include (a) encouraging early expectations for commun ity life, (b) assisting parents in recognizing the importance of their (parent) contributions, (c) supporting parents in honoring the choice s of the son or daughter, (d) increasing the role of social support ne tworks, and (e) addressing parent concerns regarding future employment . The purpose of this article is to stimulate future research and deve lopment of strategies for support of families with young adults making the transition to adulthood.