FITS Beyond™

Beyond Graduation

Schools can become so focused on graduation requirements that an important question gets lost: What happens the day after graduation?

Can the student communicate what they need? Follow a routine? Make choices? Participate in their own care? Navigate the community? Ask for help? Complete responsibilities? Explore work interests? Participate in recreation or social activities?

Those questions matter too.

Transition Planning Is Part of FITS Beyond

Transition Planning is one important component of FITS Beyond, but FITS Beyond is larger than a transition meeting or written plan.

Transition planning helps identify where the student may be headed, what skills they may need, what barriers may exist, what supports could help, what experiences would be valuable, and what goals should become priorities.

The plan provides direction. Experience turns the plan into preparation.

Independence Looks Different for Everyone

Independence should never be defined as “doing everything without help.”

Real independence is often about knowing what you can do, what support you need, where to get that support, and how to communicate what works for you.

FITS Beyond helps students develop as much meaningful independence as possible while also learning how to appropriately access support when they need it.

Self-Determination

As students grow older, they should increasingly have a voice in what happens next.

That means helping students identify their interests, strengths, preferences, goals, environments they enjoy, environments that are difficult, supports that help, things they would like to learn, and things they may want to pursue as adults.

Whenever possible, students should not simply have a future planned for them. They should increasingly participate in planning with us.

Self-Advocacy

A student who understands their own needs is better prepared to participate in decisions about their future.

FITS Beyond can help students develop skills such as asking for clarification, requesting assistance, communicating sensory needs, requesting a break, expressing preferences, explaining what helps them succeed, saying when something is not working, making choices, and participating in planning.

The important part is that the student has a meaningful way to participate in decisions about their own life.

Vocational Exploration

Students cannot know whether they are interested in something they have never experienced.

A-FITS may introduce students to different occupations, work environments, responsibilities, community businesses, career areas, and practical work tasks based on age, readiness, interests, strengths, and individual goals.

Exploration may include career-interest activities, job-skills practice, volunteer or early work experiences when appropriate, and opportunities to learn from feedback in realistic settings.

The purpose is not to decide immediately “This is the student's career.” The purpose is to help the student discover what they like, what they do not like, what they are good at, what environments fit them, and what they may want to explore further.

Pre-Employment & Workplace Skills

Before someone can successfully perform a job, there are many underlying skills they may need.

Students may work on arriving prepared, following a schedule, starting a task, staying engaged, completing responsibilities, following directions, organizing materials, working independently, increasing endurance, maintaining accuracy, asking questions, accepting feedback, working near others, taking appropriate breaks, and becoming less dependent on prompts.

Workplace preparation can also include coworker relationships, communication with supervisors, workplace and personal safety, hygiene and attire, stress management, customer or community interactions, punctuality, professional boundaries, and knowing when and how to ask for support.

Preparation grows with the student.

Community Participation

Adult life happens in the community.

Students need opportunities to become increasingly comfortable participating in stores, restaurants, recreation, community events, businesses, libraries, volunteer sites, workplaces, and other public settings.

Community participation also helps us see whether a skill has truly generalized.

Independent Living Skills

Adult independence is supported by practical daily-living abilities.

Depending on the student, FITS Beyond may include cooking, meal preparation, laundry, cleaning, household routines, personal organization, hygiene, grooming, managing belongings, shopping, money use, following schedules, time awareness, and personal responsibility.

Each skill a student can perform with less assistance can increase participation and choice.

Money & Purchasing

Money management involves far more than identifying coins.

A student may eventually need to understand cost, compare prices, make a purchase, use a debit card or cash, understand whether they have enough money, follow a shopping list, locate items, communicate with employees, keep track of belongings, and make decisions about spending.

The purpose is not completing another math activity. The purpose is participating more independently in adult life.

Adult Services Awareness

Leaving school can also mean entering an entirely different world of adult supports and services.

Families may eventually need to consider vocational rehabilitation, developmental disability services, supported employment, postsecondary education, vocational training, adult day programming, transportation, supported living, community services, guardianship or alternatives to guardianship, benefits and financial planning, and other adult resources.

Graduation should not be the first time a family hears about adult systems.

Postsecondary & College Pathways

For some students, the next step after A-FITS may include community college, university, technical education, career certification, vocational training, or another postsecondary program.

Preparation may involve understanding personal strengths and interests, identifying programs that match future goals, organizing application and enrollment steps, managing schedules and deadlines, understanding accommodations, practicing self-advocacy, developing study and executive-functioning strategies, and learning how to communicate with instructors and adult support systems.

Postsecondary readiness is not one pathway. It is preparing the student for the next environment that fits their goals.

Recreation, Relationships & Quality of Life

Adulthood is not only about employment and independent living.

A meaningful life also includes friends, interests, recreation, hobbies, community participation, relationships, choice, relaxation, and belonging.

We are not simply preparing students to work as adults. We are preparing them to live.

FITS Forward™: The High-School Bridge

As students enter high school, FITS Forward™ becomes the bridge between the A-FITS school experience and adulthood.

Students may spend more time exploring personal goals, career interests, vocational skills, community participation, independent-living abilities, self-advocacy, adult responsibilities, work-related behaviors, postsecondary possibilities, adult supports, and recreation.

The emphasis gradually changes from “What skills should we teach?” to “How will this student use those skills after A-FITS?”

Working With Families

Planning for adulthood cannot happen without families.

Families may be thinking years ahead: Where will my child live? Will they work? How will they get around? What kind of support will they need? What happens after school services end? What should we be preparing for now?

We may not have every answer immediately. But asking the questions early gives us more time to prepare.

The Future Is Individual

There is no single A-FITS graduate and no single path students are expected to follow.

Success may look like a job, college, vocational training, supported employment, living independently, learning to prepare meals, using community transportation, managing a schedule, making a friend, volunteering, participating in recreation, communicating more independently, or advocating for support.

The measure of success is not whether every student reaches the same destination. It is whether each student leaves A-FITS better prepared for their own.