It’s spring and so it is appropriate that this issue of our newsletter is devoted to transition, a time when youth graduate and move on to college or employment.

For a family caring for a child with mental health needs, it also may be the time when their adolescent transitions off their private health insurance policy and may transition to the adult mental health system. This is a crucial time for families and for youth.

The Coalition is interested in learning about the experiences of families and youth who are in the throes of transition. We want to learn what has helped, what hasn’t and what’s needed for a successful transition. From April through June we will be conducting a series of five focus groups with families, youth and young adults (ages 17–24) across the state. Please check out the dates and locations listed below for a group nearest you. We hope to see you there.

—Jane A. Walker
Executive Director

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Climbing the Transition Hurdle

If you’re like many parents of children with special needs, you spend much of your time getting what he or she needs—the right educational setting, clinicians who are a good fit and realistic goals and progress toward those goals.

You wake up one day and realize middle school, high school and beyond are looming—in a word, Transition—the process of helping adolescents move into adulthood.

Youth with emotional or behavioral needs face unique challenges when they age out of the systems of care for children:

• Youth may not be socially or emotionally ready for independence;
• Mental health issues/diagnosis may impede process to transition;
• School attendance and completion is often a challenge;
• Employment is not a matter of intellect, skills or choice, but behavior;
• Such children are more likely to be living at home and are less likely to belong to social or community groups;
• Risky behaviors may increase—pregnancy, drugs, arrest;
• Transition to independence is protracted;
• Youth and their families may have differences in expectations; and
• Issues of confidentiality can become barriers to communication and partnering with providers.

Such issues as financial independence or support, education, access to health care and prescription medication are part of the process. Deciding where your child will live, helping him or her apply for services and assistance—this is the essence of transition, and planning can begin as early as the late middle school years and should begin no later than age 14. It takes time to line up the necessary services and arrangements.

Many core services agencies have funding for Transition Age Youth (TAY) programs (generally defined as ages 17–22) however; most of the programs can only serve a limited number of young adults. Among the programs offered by these agencies are educational, case management and vocational services; wraparound services; funding for housing and vocational training; social and recreational activities; transportation; GED assistance; psychiatric rehabilitation services; utility payments; grocery assistance; and mentoring.

Here is a listing of agencies that receive grant funding and ages they serve:

• Anne Arundel County: Ages 16–22; Anne Arundel Mental Health Authority Inc.
• Baltimore City: Youth returning from residential treatment centers; Baltimore Mental Health Systems Inc.
• Baltimore County: Ages 16–22; Baltimore County Bureau of Mental Health.
• Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties: Ages 17–22; Charles County Core Services Agency.
• Howard County: Ages 17–25 (youth returning from residential treatment centers); Howard County Mental Health Authority.
• Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline and Dorchester counties: Ages 16–22; Mid-Shore Mental Health Systems.
• Montgomery County: Montgomery County Core Service Agency.
• Prince George’s County: Ages 16–23 who are parents; Prince George’s Mental Health Authority.
• Washington County: Ages 17–21; Washington County Mental Health Authority.
• Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties: Ages 14–24; Worcester County Core Service Agency

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Navigating the Transition Highway

Transition is a tough process for everyone involved—the adults who have been caring for the child for many years (parents, grandparents, teachers, clinicians) and the adolescent seeking to establish independence and achieve goals. The journey can be rough!

Here are the top 10 ways to navigate the rough roads ahead:

1. Get a map. Connect with the adult systems as soon as possible (Division of Rehabilitation Services, Supplemental Security Income and Core Service Agency).
2. Check your policy. Check your private insurance policy to see how long your child can remain on your policy.
3. Explore other roads. Check with the local Department of Social Services to see whether your child is eligible for Medicaid.
4. Keep the gas tank full. Develop a strategy to manage financial support for your child—bank accounts, SSI checks, etc.
5. Listen to the global positioning systems (GPS). This is the time to listen to what your child wants for himself or herself.
6. Let someone else do the driving. Try to facilitate a relationship with another adult who may be able to guide your child—a relative, friend or provider.
7. Get off the road! Step back and recognize that youth will make mistakes. Sometimes it is the only way they can learn.
8. Be available to step back in when there is a crisis.
9. Get a luxury car for yourself! Begin to separate and allow your child to become their own person.
10. Keep your cell phone on! Communicate with your child’s providers so you stay on top of services—ensuring the staff is well qualified and appropriate and your child is receiving promised services.
    

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Participate in a Transition Focus Group

The Coalition is conducting focus groups for families with a transition-age youth (ages 17–24) with mental health needs. The Coalition wants to listen to and learn about the experiences and needs of youth and young adults in this phase of life. Youth and young adults are encouraged to attend one of the focus groups listed below—each participating family and youth will receive a $20 stipend for attending.

• April 25: Central Maryland—Maryland Coalition, 10632 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 119, Columbia
• May 2: Baltimore County/Baltimore City—Villa Maria, 2300 Dulaney Valley Road, Timonium
• May 4: Southern Maryland—Alternatives for Youth, 30049 Business Center Drive, Charlotte Hall
• June 1: Eastern Shore—Easton Welcome and Resource Center, 11 S. Harrison St., Easton
• June 14: Montgomery County—Family Services Agency, 610 East Diamond Ave., Suite 100, Gaithersburg

Registration is required. For more info or to register, contact the Coalition at 410-730-8267 or 1-888-607-3637; e-mail info@mdcoalition.org.

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Transition Resources

Here are some groups that can help you and your child make a smooth transition:

• Maryland Interagency Transition: www.mdtransition.org
• National Technical Assistance Center on Youth Transition
  Department of Child and Family Studies
  Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute
  University of South Florida
  Tampa, FL 33612-3807
  Phone: 813.974.4493
  Fax: 813.974.6257
  Web: http://ntacyt.fmhi.usf.edu
  E-newsletter: join-ntac_yt@lists.acomp.usf.edu
• National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
  Institute on Community Integration
  University of Minnesota
  6 Pattee Hall
  150 Pillsbury Drive SE
  Minneapolis, MN 55455
  Phone: 612.624.2097
  Fax: 612.624.9344
  Web: www.ncset.org
• Transition to Adulthood: A Resource for Assisting Young People with Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties; Hewitt B. Clark and Maryann Davis; Brookes Publishing; 2000.
• A Practitioner’s Guide to Involving Families in Secondary Transition; Donna Wandry and Amy Pleet; Council for Exceptional Children; 2003.
• Full Life Ahead; developed and written BY parents FOR parents and students; Southeastern Regional Resource Center, Auburn University, Montgomery, AL; 2001.
  

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Upcoming Events

• Touchpoints Developmental Training, Maryland Coalition Columbia Office Conference Room: open to family members and other supporters; lunch available for $5—April 12, 10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
  
• Support Group Supervision, Maryland Coalition Columbia Office Conference Room: open to current support group leaders—April 26, 9 a.m.–noon.
  
• Support Group Training, Maryland Coalition Columbia Office Conference Room: open to anyone interested in starting and leading a support group; lunch available for $5—May 3, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
  
• Children’s Mental Health Conference, Nurturing Resiliency in Youth, sponsored by the Mental Hygiene Administration—May 25 at Temple Oheb Shalom in Baltimore. The Coalition has a limited number of scholarships for families to attend the conference. Contact the Coalition office at 410-730-8267 to request a scholarship.
  
• 2006 Youth Leadership Weekend—July 28–30.
  
• Kennedy Krieger Institute Adolescent Transition Lecture Series (Sponsored by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Genetics and Children with Special Health Care Needs)
  
  • April 26
    Residential and Independent Living Options
    Representatives from Bello Machre, Jewish Family Services, LifeLine and United Cerebral Palsy of Central Maryland
    
  • May 17
    Part I: Advocacy 101
    Part II: New IDEA
    Maureen Van Stone, Equal Justice Works Fellow,
    Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
    
  • June 7
    Life Care, Financial and Estate Planning
    Nancy Bond, Coordinating Center for Home Community Care
    David N. Pessin, Esquire
    RSVP or address questions to Resource Network Coordinator Jenny Jones at 443-923-2790 or 800-390-3372