My Reflection On Sam's Transition After High School

Three informal assessments were done on Sam to gain knowledge about his transition after high school. I reviewed his IEP, observed him in his classes, and administered the Career Maturity Assessment. While I administered the Career Maturity Assessment to Sam, he was more than cooperating to answer each question I asked. He never made eye contact with me, and constantly played with his hands during the whole time I was talking with him. Surprisingly, he wasn’t distracted and answered every question immediately after I asked with extreme confidence and certainty in his response. I did notice that when I asked him a question that required more than 2 different answers, he struggled to come up with more responses. I would then have to repeat the …show more content…
The settings I observed Sam in are in the PAES lab (Practical Assessment Exploration System), his resource room, and his math class. All things are true in all of the settings: he works independently, is friendly to everyone, works hard, never complains, can work independently without assistance, maintains self-control, and has a great sense of humor. Sam is a high functioning student with Autism and it is very evident to see. The PAES lab is a work environment where students practice and develop career skills for all different areas of work. There are over 200 different jobs the students complete, and while I was watching Sam tackle those jobs, he never once complained, gave up, or needed assistance. He disliked many of the jobs he was doing, but he wouldn’t tell anyone that unless they asked. Sam and I walked from the PAES lab to the resource room and multiple different times throughout the 3-minute walk people would say hi to Sam or stop to talk to him. It was easy to see how genuine and friendly Sam is. While I observed how Sam would interact with his friends, classmates, teachers and even myself, I noticed how he has a difficult time making eye contact during a conversation. Open-ended questions are also something that is difficult for Sam because he is such a literal thinker. I noticed that Sam is unable to recognize social cues and sarcasm at times. Through observing Sam in the classroom and …show more content…
When I was reading through his IEP and it stated his strengths and interests, I immediately could attest to those attributes just by spending the time I did with him. The one thing I noticed while reviewing his IEP that I had never noticed in any other IEP I have seen before was his parent’s involvement and comments. His parent’s statements about Sam and his strengths, concerns, and goals were stated all throughout his IEP. It is evident that his parent’s truly want the best for their son and want to be apart of the process in making him successful in school and life after high school, which is a great thing to see. I saw that Sam attends his own IEP meetings and participates in them as well by self- advocating for himself and expressing what he wants to do after high-school. It is stated in his IEP that Sam advocated at his IEP meeting saying he will work in a zoo after high school, that he is able to take care of his daily needs and will continue to play an active role in the community. I think it is great how he knows what he wants and is able to express that at his IEP meeting. The transition services that are discussed in his IEP are helping Sam prepare for life after high school. It is stated that he will participate in school field trips, access public transportation, continue