Transitions in a child’s life are among the moments when support can be most valuable to families. At these times there are new areas of information to find out about, new decisions to make, new people to meet, new ideas to discuss with the child and accustom them to, and new arrangements to explore and again, introduce to the child over time.
Key transition points include going to nursery, then school; moving from primary to secondary school; moving from school to college, independent living or supported living, and from paediatric to adult services; in some conditions, going through surgery; moving home; and changes to personnel who are important to the child, such as a personal assistant.
Not all of the changes covered in this section will occur in every child’s life. The section aims to provide you with information and contacts as starting-points, and to enable you to think about and begin the process with plenty of time and space on your side. It acknowledges, but does not attempt to go into, the general subject of child development ~ it concentrates on factors that crop up for the child with a brain related condition.For information about general child development, see Open2.net (Open University with BBC).
