I’m thinking of students who haven’t been homeschooled and have one or two of these conditions: moderate to high learning difficulties and disabilities, down’s syndrome, conditions of the autism spectrum, common to rare genetic conditions, anxiety/depression, physical conditions, etc.
I’m British and over here it’s simple. They go to a Further Education College for 3 years from 16-18 years old to do the Foundation Skills Programme which is a general education course with a few extra special subjects:
Independent Living Skills for transportation, at home and out in the community, and Workright was to help us to write our CVs, work on interview techniques, look for jobs and help us to find temporary work placements to gain some experience for a few days or one week.
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High school generally ends when you are 18 here in the US.
People with disabilities of the type you mention have a whole range of state and federal programs ranging from job training and health care assistance to being able to get social security money for permanent disability.
It’s complex and depends dramatically on the specific disability and it’s severity. Private work insurance can also cover disability but that’s another complicated issue and usually is disabilities you get after you work, but it can take effect if you are working are covered by policy and the condition worsens making you unable to do your former job or any job.
It depends on the nature and severity of the need. The US has pretty much unrivaled disability rights in terms of physical conditions, so if there isn’t any significant intellectual difficulty they can go to college if they want. People with depression, anxiety, mild ASD, and so forth can typically go as well.
If we’re talking something more severe, they might be eligible for employment training.
It depends. Generally speaking they’ll still attend high school, but depending on their needs may be entirely in special needs classes. Often they’ll attend high school for an extended period of time, until aging out at 20-21 years old.
We have a life skills school that does job training as well for students until they are 22.
It depends entirely on the student in question. High school is generally from 14-18 years old in the US, afterwards they may do anything from simply attending University to government subsidized career training.
This varies by school district, of which there are thousands, and even within that can vary even further. Depending on the level of need, where I live, some people stay in high school until 21, earn a certificate rather than a diploma, and get basic job training. Some may not have any training if they can’t hold a job. Some communities have services for what is essentially adult daycare. It really depends on where you are in the country.
I am a special education teacher in Minnesota. It is going to depend on the level of disability. The students with severe disabilities (like Down syndrome, nonverbal autistic and low IQ) are allowed to stay in high school until the age of 22. At my school, we call them super seniors. They learn job skills, and we try to get them a job during school hours they can do. An example would be cleaning a business. We had one work at the library, and this year, one is doing bingo at the nursing home. After that, it is up to their families what they will do. Often, they will go to a day program. At the day program, they have staff to help them do their jobs. Often, they are jobs similar to goodwill. They sort donations and price them for the store kind of thing.
For other students that have more skills, we can help them with job coaches they get a job at a business. The job coach will go with them for a while to make sure they understand what they are expected to do at their new job.
There are special needs kids that do go to college or tech school, but I think most who do not qualify for a day program simply go out and work.
For those who have such profound disabilities that they are unable to work, there are kinds of activities centers they can go to.
If the family can’t continue to care for them and they can’t live on their own, they often will live in group homes.
I am a parent to one.
Depending on the state, they can stay in a school until 18-22. Mine is a 22 state. He will continue in school until then, and afterwards he will need to join an adult day program of some kind. Some of them are more educational, some have work assignments, some are part work/part educational/part recreational. It depends on the person’s needs and abilities.
Last month I found out that people can attend our high schools until age 21.
My buddy has an autistic teen who can’t make it past about 6th grade level (mentally and socially about 11 years old) even though he’s currently in 10th grade (with 15 year olds). After the latest outburst & suspension my buddy was talking to the principal about what’s going to happen in 2.5 years when most kids will graduate (at 17-18 years old). The principal said to just keep sending him to school. The “kid” will never graduate but he can keep going to school every day until he ages out.
News to me. He’s in Tampa Florida.
We dont usually. Next question.
Why would we continue doing something hard when we most likly won’t get hired.
At least in my state, disabled children can stay in school until the end of the school year in which they turn 22. Most states have similar policies. After they age out of school, there are government-funded vocational programs that disabled young adults can attend. The waiting lists can be a bit long and there are other issues with the programs but this is one area where the US does a pretty decent job.
Our public school system goes on longer than yours does as I understand it. Secondary school ends at about age 16 in the UK, right?
In the US school system, you start in kindergarten (age 5) and then have grades 1-12 after that. Usually kids going into 12th grade are around 17. And will be 18 or nearly 18 when they graduate high school.
So legally, you arr entitled to a free education til 21 OR until you graduate highschool (this is why getting a GED is so hard to get before 21, because the powers that be, want you to hold back to highschool and make you jump through hoops to get it).
You can drop out at 16 in most states but that is you opting out of education. You can not legally drop out if you have an IEP (individual education plan, meant for people with learning, mental or physical issues like you described) and must either graduate or age out.
Highschools are actually required to help students with these disabilities transition to the most appropriate place for them. Most will help them apply for work and housing during this time if they are able to live alone or in a group home. As many of these kids are not able to adult, their parents are their legal guardians for life. Many parents think that letting g the child move out means that they “don’t love” them and so keep them at home, even when that is not the best choice long term.
I work in a school and we hire some of these students at 21 or 22 to be lunch servers or custodial staff. They get school health insurance, a retirement plan through the school, a job that isn’t too taxing. The students are actually pretty nice to them (not going to lie, they are often jerks to the teachers and authority figures, but actually really nice to staff that has no authority.)
Some colleges have a Life program (ie Clemson life) which is for folks with learning disabilities or disabilities. Many colleges and universities have created these programs. They are for 18-20 year olds to learn how to live by themselves and function in society. I’ve worked with some people in these programs and I can’t praise the programs (or the people) enough.
In my state, students with disabilities are allowed to remain in the public (free) school system until they turn 22. Once they hit a curtain age, the classes focus more on life skills than traditional academics and even job training, depending on their disability.
I’m a high-functioning autist and I just attended a couple trade schools.
It depends on the person and the extent of their disability. My niece’s autism is so severe, she will never work. She goes to a special school that ages out between 23 and 26 years old. My sister and brother-in-law are developing plans for what her life will be like after school.
My brother attend high school with me and worked at our local state college as a dishwasher until right before Covid started. His diabilities worsened, and he no longer can work. He is now on permanent disability.
I have an autistic son who graduates in the spring from high school.
Students with disabilities that impact their learning should have an Individual Education Plan (IEP.) If it is followed correctly, starting grade 9, the school begins transition goals. What does the student want to do post graduation? Is the student showing capabilities of being able to eventually live independently, even if that takes place a few years later than what is normal for their peers?
If it is agreed the student cannot transition to post secondary education or training at 18/HS graduation, then the district is responsible for the student until 21. The student will attend a Bridge program, where they will receive additional education, but also taught basic life skills-shopping, financial literacy, housekeeping, cooking, etc. After 21, decisions are made regarding if the now adult needs to enter state supported care such as shared/half way housing, etc.
My son is ASD L1, what used to be referred to as “high functioning.” He will not go to Bridge as he has the ability to attend trade or even college. As part of his IEP, the school prioritized him attending and passing Consumer Math instead of Calculus. They are overseeing him in investigating trade education as well as local colleges. He attends a program offered by our state’s Department of Vocational Rehab to high schoolers to mentor and prepare him for the work force.
On a personal level, my husband and I are prepared for him to live with us until he is in his late 20s or 30s. We realize he probably won’t be ready to leave the nest until 25-27+, and we will retire around that time. Our plan is to buy enough property to divide off a lot for him, and our retirement house will have a MIL suite. He can ease into independence. Plus, with the housing market, it could be his only option to own.
*Disclaimer that there’s not one single public school experience in the US and that a lot of variation exists, I can only talk about my own personal experiences, etc. etc.*
So where I’m from, (NC), most people graduate high school around 17/18 years old. The upper age limit for staying in a public high school is 21 years old, equivalent to being held back about three times. In my personal experience, it’s very uncommon for administration to allow students in mainstream classes to be held back more than once, because after that it can start to affect their socialization. But a lot of special needs students in self-contained classrooms will be held back until 21, both to provide them with as much OT, PT, and life skills work as possible, and also to provide their parents with childcare while they’re at work during the day.
So what happens after 21?
Well, a lot depends on money, time, and the functionality of the young person in question.
For higher-needs students, students who are unlikely to ever work on their own/need constant supervision/care, there’s a few options. They can, of course, just stay at home with their family and be cared for by them after they leave school. They could remain in the home and receive visits from home health aides. They can also go to an “adult daycare” during the day, while their parents/carers are at work, then come home in the evening. Most adult daycares provide at least some food, along with group activities and overall supervision. There are also group homes, where special needs adults live full-time and are cared for by staff. Some of these are public, and some are private. Some provide good care, and some are depressing and slipshod. Occasionally, I’ve run into group home residents on field trips out to the mall, or to pick up Taco Bell.
While I am no expert on health insurance, my understanding is that most of these people qualify for Medicaid or similar assistance.
For special needs students who are more independent, there are other options after graduation. Some students with moderate intellectual disabilities will go straight to work after graduating. There are all kinds of jobs that people with moderate ID can hold; janitorial work, some foodservice jobs, retail work, etc. There are also “sheltered workshops” or “work centers” where workers with special needs will do various jobs, such as assembling furniture or sorting items. Sheltered workshops are self-contained and non-competitive compared to most work environments, but there has been some controversy over their exemption from minimum wage laws. Subminimum wages have been banned in some states and not in others.
Some students also go further with their education; my public university offers a program for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities to take a four-year “transition program.” It includes classes on reading, writing, math, banking, independent living, and sexuality and relationships. I’ve also known a number of people from my high school with special needs who entered various local community colleges and did two-year degrees in things like secretarial work and childcare.
As for students who are special needs for reasons such as physical disabilities or mental health conditions like anxiety/depression, the ADA legally requires that they receive “reasonable accommodations” from their employer, and that “public accommodations” be accessible to them. The ADA covers both mental and physical health conditions. My university has a disability services office which helps students receive the accommodations that they need, whether that’s registering a service dog or getting them a wheelchair-accessible dorm room. I think it’s difficult to overstate how important the ADA has been in opening up opportunities for Americans with special needs.
Any student with an IEP has a right to receive an education up to age 22.
I work in a transition program for 18-22, our main demographics are Autism, down’s syndrome, and TBIs. During this time, we focus on independent living skills like transportation, cooking, cleaning, etc as well as work readiness and getting them signed up for government assistance like social security, ABLE accounts, vocational rehab services, etc. After that, they will either work (independently or with the support of vocational rehab/job coach) or they might go to an adult day services program if they cannot or do not want to work, which is almost like adult daycare where they can continue to build skills and socialize.
The students I work with come from more affluent families. They are often a “best case” scenario. Low socioeconomic class individuals are more likely to fall through the cracks.
For those with conditions that are relatively minor and can be accommodated for they go to virtually any University. For those with more severe disability that cannot be accommodated to a point that would allow them to get a normal degree do not go into continued education. They are also often allowed to stay in High School up until the ages of 21 or 23 (depending on the State) to get as much Life Skills Training as possible if it is needed. If at that point they are not able to function with a social worker checking in periodically they will typically have to go into the care of a family member or a group home.
College or trade school. I took a long extended program as I was struggle to handle my mental health problems which took at toll on my ability to addenda class. I just went to school though it took me long along side all the other students.
In my state kids with disabilities can stay in high school till they turn 21.
Depending on the area they have programs they can go to during the day. Some have classes for things like sports, art, dance and martial arts. Things to keep them active and engaged.
I used to go to a school for special needs students (mostly for students with behavior issues but most also had some kind of mental illness and/or autism or learning disability). The answer depends on the kid in that case, but most people just went straight into the workforce. I’m in college right now, as are a few of my friends, but some others ended up in prison after committing various crimes.
I have a special needs son. High school can usually carry over a couple more years. After that there are county programs.