The goals of a smooth transition can be met when the transition is carefully planned and includes all the key participants. The participants in the transition process are the child, the family and other caregivers, the sending team (those professionals involved in the program which the child is leaving), and the receiving team (professionals from the new program). One focus of the transition process should be the interrelatedness of all of the participants and the need for collaborative procedures. The collaborative procedures include frequent communication among the participants including scheduled team meetings. Necessary team meetings include: the initial transition meeting, the planning for the transition IEP team meeting, the transition IEP team meeting, and ongoing sharing and planning team meetings. During the planning of the IEP transition meeting, the MAPS (Read more about Making Action Plans in chapter 7 or in our Guidelines) process can be used to begin planning among the participants, lay a foundation for cooperation, and focus on the student's abilities; thus setting a positive tone for the inclusion and the development of positive learning experiences.

Another focus of the transition process is on family involvement (Read more about family involvement in our Guidelines). Family participation in the transition process is very important for many reasons. The family is the primary constant in the child's life throughout the many transitions in the educational system. The family can provide valuable information on the child's strengths and needs as well as skills that the child may display at home, but not at school. The family can be a resource by assisting in developing and teaching new skills the child needs in the next environment, thus increasing generalization and maintenance across settings. Transitions skills can be learned by the family early in the child's life and used to make decisions for future transitions. The family is the primary decision maker (Use our form "Choice and Decision Making Matrix") for their child. The team's participation in the transition process assists the family in making informed decisions. It is while important to respect and recognize that families vary in their abilities and desires to be involved in the transition process, it is essential to remember.