Page 29 - FamilyGuidetoTransitionServices-English

Talking with a Healthcare Provider

ll a child’s young life, they have seen a pediatrician who is trained to care
A for children and their healthcare needs. When a child becomes an adult,
they should see someone who is trained to care for adults.
Moving from pediatric to adult healthcare services for a teen or young adult
with special needs involves more than just switching to adult specialists (which
can be difficult enough); it can also involve switching to new programs. Parents
must not only continue to advocate on behalf of their teens, but must also help
their teens speak up for themselves to the best of their ability—this includes
talking to their doctors.

There are many questions surrounding healthcare that a student may have
when it comes to seeing a doctor:
 How do I talk to a doctor about my health?
 How do I ask my doctor questions?
 How do I make doctor appointments?
 Do I understanding the directions for taking my prescriptions?
It is important for a student to know that there are lots of different kinds of
supports, and that which supports they choose will depend on what exactly
they need help with. Here’s one way to think about the kinds of supports
they may find helpful:
 “Natural” supports—family and friends;
 “Community” supports—resources that are there for everyone, with or
without a disability, like libraries, YMCAs, and public transportation;
 “Disability-specific” supports—resources like Medicaid, Social Security,
and para-transit;
 Assistive technology—includes wheelchairs, screen readers for the
computer, and recording devices.
Again, depending on what a person needs, they may use one or a
combination of these kinds of supports.

Planning ahead, learning what they need to do to stay
healthy, and having a health care provider and people to
support them will make it much easier for youth to transition
to adulthood and a life in the community. 29