Health care transition is the process of moving from pediatric care to adult care. Part of health care transition is deciding about your own health. It also means learning about your rights and responsibilities around health care.
To help prepare youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) for their health care transition, six toolkits were developed under the leadership of Family Voices, in collaboration with the LifeCourse Nexus, SPAN, and Got Transition. This project is supported by the Administration of Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For additional health care transition resources for youth and young adults with ID/DD, their families/caregivers, and clinicians and direct support workers, visit the Center for Transition to Adult Health Care for Youth with Disabilities.
The six toolkits aim to help you learn and get ready for moving to adult health care and living a healthy adult life. They will give you lots of information and resources to help you during this time of transition. Each toolkit will focus on a different topic about health care transition.
Each toolkit consists of a Side-by-Side Guide, EZ-Reader, tool, and tip sheet.
For the best experience viewing and using the toolkits, we recommend Adobe Acrobat. If you don’t have it yet, you can download it for free. Download Adobe Acrobat here.
Toolkit 1:
Understanding Health Care Transition
Toolkit 2:
Knowing About Your Health Care
Toolkit 3:
Leading Day-to-Day Health Care Routines
Toolkit 4:
Understanding Your Legal Rights in Health Care Settings
Coming Soon
Toolkit 5:
Leading Your Health Care Visits
Coming Soon
Toolkit 6:
Planning for Moving to Adult Health Care
Coming Soon
Toolkit 1
Understanding Health Care Transition
Side-by-Side Guide
Moving to Adult Health Care: Getting Ready for a Change
Understand a change is coming, what transition and health care transition mean, and start thinking about life as an adult and healthy living.
Click here for Resources from this Side-By-Side Guide.
EZ-Reader
Getting Ready for a Change: What Does That Mean?
Learn about becoming an adult and what it means for your health care.
Click here for Resources from this EZ-Reader.
Tool
Moving to Adult Health Care: Life Trajectory?
Think about what’s important to you regarding your doctors and health care workers. Consider what you don’t want in your adult health care.
Tip Sheet
Moving to Adult Health Care: Life Trajectory?
Provides an overview of why and how to use the Moving to Adult Health Care: Life Trajectory.
Toolkit 2
Knowing About Your Health Care
Side-by-Side Guide
Moving to Adult Health Care: Knowing About Your Health
Understand your health and disabilities, and the different kinds of doctors and health care workers you might see as an adult.
Click here for Resources from this Side-By-Side Guide.
EZ-Reader
Knowing About Your Health: Different Kinds of Doctors & Specialists
Learn about the different kinds of doctors and health care workers you might see as an adult.
Click here for Resources from this EZ-Reader.
Keep track of your doctors and other health care workers.
Tip Sheet
Medical Provider List
Provides an overview of why and how to use the Medical Provider List.
Toolkit 3
Leading Day-to-Day Health Care Routines
Side-by-Side Guide
Moving to Adult Health Care: Day-to-Day Health Routines
Learn about doing the everyday things you’ll do for your health such as healthy eating, staying active, regular checkups and medication, and mental well-being.
Click here for Resources from this Side-By-Side Guide.
EZ-Reader
Day-to-Day Health Routines: Managing Your Daily Medication
Learn about taking and organizing the medication you need —on your own or with help —to stay as healthy as possible.
Click here for Resources from this EZ-Reader.
Tool
Medication List
Keep track of your medications, including when to take it and why you take it.
Tip Sheet
Medication List
Provides an overview of why and how to use the Medication List.
Toolkit 2
Knowing About Your Health Care
Side-by-Side Guide
Moving to Adult Health Care: Knowing About Your Health
Understand your health and disabilities, and the different kinds of doctors and health care workers you might see.
EZ-Reader
Knowing About Your Health: Different Kinds of Doctors & Specialists
Learn about the different kinds of doctors and health care workers you might see as an adult.
Tool
Medical Provider List
Keep track of your doctors and other health care workers.
Tip Sheet
Medical Provider List
Provides an overview of why and how to use the Medical Provider List.
The Center for Transition to Adult Health Care for Youth with Disabilities is a national health care transition (HCT) resource center. The goal of the center is to empower youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) ages 12-26 to direct their own transition from pediatric to adult care with no reduction in quality of care of gaps in service.
To find more resources related to health care transition, visit movingtoadulthealthcare.org.
This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2,425,000 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.