Transition to Adulthood

The period of life when a young adult is moving from the children’s system of services to the adult system is known by families as “The Cliff” – this change can be frustrating, bureaucratic, and inadequate to the needs of young people with developmental disabilities. In all realms of life – education, healthcare, housing, etc. – people with developmental disabilities must leave a service system that they have learned to navigate and move into a new and confusing one.

Without good supports and information, many young people find themselves losing services and losing ground in their struggle to live a full life in their communities. MDDC is committed to supporting projects and initiatives that would make these systems more integrated, easier to navigate, and more supportive.

Here are a few of our recent projects in this area:

The Council has been working for the last few years on raising awareness around the difficulties that young people with developmental disabilities face when moving into the adult healthcare system.

"The wealth of information obtained from this group will help us move the needle on this work in terms of having stakeholders aligned, having identified the scope of need a bit more and now having a plan to do next steps in a logical way" - - Maine AAP

In 2018, MDDC contracted with the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to fund surveys and focus group to study pediatricians’ understandings of how to successfully transition young adults with DD into adult healthcare systems. MDDC was also asked to present on the issue of transitioning to adult healthcare to 39 medical practitioners and provide information for 165 more. Directly as a result of MDDC efforts Maine CDC invested in a quality improvement healthcare firm to convene a Transitions of Care planning committee, develop measures for future quality improvement work, & develop a small pilot around care transitions.

The Council is committed to improving opportunities and experiences of young people with developmental disabilities who are entering adulthood – from continuing education into college, vocational training, moving into the adult healthcare system, and transitioning to the adult system for home and community-based services, we want young adults to be able to choose their best path, get the supports they need, and feel confident and ready to move into a successful future.