Supporting the Transition to Adulthood 

Transition planning is an important step to help adjust to the next stage of your child’s life. Your rangatahi / young adult may have a strong desire to live independently because they hear their peers talk about moving out of their family homes. There’s a lot to consider when planning the transition into adulthood.

Here are a few points to consider:

Start planning well before they turn 18

Keep in mind that although 18 is often used as a benchmark for adulthood, you must assess your teen’s developmental age, as they may be developmentally much younger. When appropriate, there are steps you can take to prepare them (and you) for this major change. Click here to go to Care Matters, a NZ website that talks in more detail about what makes for successful transitions.

Find out what your young person’s hopes and dreams are for the future

Sit down and have a good chat about what's to come and get their input about their own future. For inspiration follow these links:

• Me and my FASD – we are awesome
• Care Matters Vision Planning Resource.

If your rangatahi has a support system in place at kura/school or through other groups and services, include them in the transition planning. Help them gain more understanding and acceptance of the type of support they may need in adulthood. 

Interdependence vs. Independence

Realistically your teenager will probably need support throughout their transition stage, so rather than having a goal of independent adulthood, FASD-CAN promotes interdependence - knowing it’s okay to ask for the help you need. Or you might like to say they will be as independent as possible, given their unique limitations and challenges.

NOTE: When using this guide, please remember that most services in Aotearoa are not FASD-informed – they don’t understand what FASD is, or how best to support individuals living with the disorder. 

So when engaging with any service provider, it may help to ask up front, “What do you know about FASD?” then decide whether their services will, or will not, be a ‘good fit’ or suitable for your loved one with their unique strengths and challenges.

FASD-CAN recommends that a support person be available when the young person accesses this resource due to the amount of information involved.