Why don’t I hear of community agencies and transition services from my student’s school?
The regional center and Department of Rehab can offer wonderful services to prepare neurodiverse teens for transition to adulthood, whatever that means for them—whether it be community college, trade school, four-year college, employment, transitional living programs, independent living, or a combination. So…why do so many parents not hear about these services from the countless IEP meetings in high school? Why did they drop the ball with my student’s transitional plan when many of these resources should have been discussed?
There are so many parents who never heard of these services and are only learning about them as the transition to adulthood looms—often when it’s too late to do gradual, thoughtful planning or build skills over time. Many find out not from their school team, but by attending transition fairs, parent conferences, or joining online communities.
And this is not just happening in underserved schools or with parents who are not involved.
Here is a story from one parent (with some details changed):
My student attended one of the better school districts in our state. In fact, it’s top ranked. I was a very active high school parent – I went to every event, watched the emails that were sent from the school and the special ed program, had regular meetings with their special ed case manager, and even held a position with our school district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Group. We had a great district that I feel serviced our neurodiverse students well—but I never heard about the regional center or vocational rehab/DOR and that my student might qualify for services. So many of our schools are doing a disservice to our special needs kids and families by not alerting them early to these services. They need to do better in this regard.
AND
After reading this information I am so grateful AND disappointed beyond explanation in my student’s schools. Their local high ranking public high school offered zero info on available community services that we could apply to. We had a similar experience at the expensive private school they went to also. And the district office offered bare minimum information, seeming to offer only what they were mandated to offer and pretending they were trying to support us.
Why Schools Don’t Always Share These Resources
There are several reasons for this disconnect:
Lack of Training or Awareness: Many school staff, including special education case managers, are not thoroughly trained in adult services. They may not fully understand what the Regional Center or Department of Rehabilitation offers, or who qualifies.
Unclear Role Definitions: Transition planning often falls into a grey area between school districts and state agencies. School teams may assume it’s the family’s job to seek out adult services, while parents assume the school will make the referrals.
Underutilization of the ITP process: Every child with an IEP will also have to have an ITP (Individual Transition Plan) sometime by their 16th birthday, depending on state. This is an excellent time to begin to talk about these services. But this process is often underutilized by schools (done at the bare minimum to meet the letter of the law) and usual unknown by parents.
Overwhelmed Systems: IEP teams are often focused on academic support and behavior plans. With large caseloads and limited time, future planning can become an afterthought.
Unequal Access to Information: Students in more affluent or well-resourced districts are not always better served when it comes to transition support. If a district doesn’t have a strong connection to these external agencies, parents won’t be looped in.
Confusion about ability to refer: It is often understood that if a school personnel “recommends” something outside the school’s prevue that they then have officially verified a need and if the outside agency declines eligibility then a parent can come back and request funding for that service.
Fear of litigation: Because our society is so litigious, schools can sometimes do the minimum required to meet letter of the law, fearing if they do more it sets them up for litigation, such as alerting parents of other helpful community services.
Steps to Get Connected to Services in California
If you’re a parent of a neurodiverse teen—especially if your child is 13 or older—it’s never too early to start investigating support beyond high school. Here’s how to get started:
1. Regional Center (California)
The Regional Center serves individuals with developmental disabilities and can offer lifelong support, including independent living skills, job coaching, supported employment, and more.
Who may qualify: Individuals with autism, intellectual disability, epilepsy, or a related condition that significantly impacts daily life.
When to apply: Apply as early as age 3, but if you haven’t done so, apply no later than age 16 to be ready for transition planning at 18.
Steps:
Visit your local Regional Center’s website and download the intake application.
Gather relevant documents: IEPs, psychoeducational evaluations, medical or diagnostic reports.
Consider hiring a special services consultant to strategize how to fill out the application and construct the application packet.
Submit the application.
Follow up regularly—some centers have long waitlists.
Tip: If your child was previously denied and you now have an autism diagnosis or other new documentation, you can reapply.
2. Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)
DOR provides support for postsecondary education, job training, internships, and employment for individuals with disabilities.
Who may qualify: Students with a documented disability that affects their ability to prepare for, obtain, or retain employment.
When to apply: Ideally by age 16–17. DOR offers Student Services that are specifically for students still in high school.
Steps:
Contact your local DOR office and request a Student Services intake appointment.
Bring the student’s IEP or 504 plan, psychological evaluations, and any recent assessments.
The student will participate in a vocational assessment to identify interests and strengths.
Once accepted, work with a DOR counselor to build a transition plan.
If the student has employment or college as a transition goal it is not a bad idea to apply for Employment Services as early as age 17. This way the eligibility can be determined and if eligible the IPE (Individualized Plan for Employment) transition plan, with the employment goal and a list of funded services (such as training/college) can be developed before the student needs access to the funding and services.
Consider hiring a special services consultant to strategize how to navigate the Employment Services application and the IPE.
Tip: Some school districts have Transition Partnership Programs (TPP) or cooperative agreements with DOR—ask your district if they participate. This would be an extension of Student Services.
Outside California?
The Department of Rehab is California’s vocational rehab agency. Your state also has a vocation rehabilitation department and a quick google search will help you find it as well as the contact and application information. There is some variability between states as to eligibility, procedures, and services offered.
The regional center is California’s Medicaid Waiver program. There is a lot of variability in these programs state by state so do research yours to see if they will have a program your student would be eligible for.
Final Thoughts and Encouragement
Don't wait for the school to bring these agencies up. Even well-meaning and highly competent school teams can miss this step. If your teen is 14 or older, start having conversations now about life after high school. Reach out to these agencies, keep notes, and follow up. Ask other parents in your community what has helped them, and consider attending a transition fair or webinar. And it may be worth schedule a few sessions with a special services consultant to strategize how to apply and navigate these services as effectively as possible, and build the best transition program for your student.
The earlier you connect, the more options your teen will have—and the less pressure you’ll feel during those last years of high school and into those first transition years.