For just about anyone, the transition from youth to adulthood can be an extremely difficult process to navigate. You have to live independently, to a degree you’ve never experienced before; and you have to make a whole set of new decisions about your job, your housing situation, your finances, and your future.

And that transition can be even more challenging for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Deb Zuver is a life coach whose business, STAGES Transition Coaching, specializes in the transition to adulthood; she’s worked with families and young adults for more than two decades. Zuver has recently launched a new program, “Springboard to Transition,” designed especially for developmentally-disabled young people and their families – providing resources and assistance to help them handle the transition to adulthood.

She says the most important step – and this is good advice for anyone – is to think carefully about your interests and desires, and how you can turn those interests into life goals. Parents can begin the process early in life by asking their children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Their answers will change over time, of course, but just the act of asking the question will spur them to begin thinking about it.

Deb Zuver spoke with WCHL’s Aaron Keck.

 

For more info on STAGES Transition Coaching and the “Springboard to Transition” program, visit DebZuver.com.

The month of March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.