PODCAST 5: Transitions, Testing and Deciding Not To Be A Geneticist with Cara Fleming, School Psychologist
Cara Fleming is a school psychologist at the high school level, as well as a transition consultant.
What’s a transition consultant? I’m glad you asked. Transition consultants help kids successfully make the leap from high school to college and/or the workforce.
Cara was great to interview. We laughed a fair amount, looked at things in new ways, and discovered some interesting things along the way. Cara talks transitions, testing, and shares why she isn’t a geneticist. Her knowledge and enthusiasm really shine through. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the show.
Cara can help with questions around transition from high school, and also performs independent testing for families looking into Special Education diagnosis in the New England area. She can be contacted at CaraFlemingTransitions@gmail.com.
As usual, I can be found at ADHDessentials.com.
Or email me at brendan@ADHDessentials.com.
P.S. This was the first episode I recorded for the podcast. I’ve learned some things since then, mostly on the technical end – editing & recording techniques. Still, I’m pretty happy with it.
Show Notes:
2:27 The child HAS to be involved in the transition process
3:31 Kids need to have something they can succeed at
5:49 Disability Awareness
7:18 Disability documentation and the transition to college
8:08 Some colleges specialize in students with disabilities
10:13 Self-Advocacy and College
11:46 ADHD Supports in College
14:06 504 vs. IEP
16:42 Why Special Ed Teachers want to be useless
18:31 But, what if my kid isn’t going to college!?!
19:01 Licenses and 504s
19:56 How to ask for accommodations in the real world
22:28 Know your disability
23:15 “How can I do a better job for you?”
23:38 Sparkle! Sparkle! Sparkle!… Documentation
25:55 Empathy for testers and school staff
27:47 Credentials to look for in outside evaluators
29:05 The Historical Perspective
30:04 ADHD leaves a footprint in cognitive testing
31:55 Transition Plans for the Post-High School World
32:45 A Three-Legged Stool on a Really Nice Rug
32:59 The Academic Leg (which Cara turns into a prong)
33:12 Performance based tasks of attention
33:35 Cara changes the stool by adding a fourth leg/prong
34:32 Cara recaps the leg/prongs
34:48 The rug is for transition planning
35:35 ONET
38:14 You have to know what’s bad about the job you want
38:55 Cara talks about transitioning from a Geneticist to a poet (to a school psychologist)
40:37 What Cara loves about her job! (Besides the kids)
41:16 Why helping kids understand who they are matters
42:31 Self knowledge shifts the locus of control to the individual
43:43 Cara’s daughter turning 15 gave her a new empathy for parents
45:06 Ending Essentials