Today our subject is ‘You don't know what you don't know – A Counselor’s Perspective.’ Our guest is Kelley Challen. Kelley is NESCA’s Assistant Director and is the Director of Transition Services. NESCA stands for Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents. Her expertise is supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, she also provides support to individuals with a wide range of developmental and learning abilities.
Kelley has a master’s degree and Certificate of Advanced Study in Risk and Prevention Counseling from Harvard Graduate School of Education and has been facilitating programs for children and adolescents with special needs since 2004.
We discuss the importance of early planning and how a transition assessment helps the college prep process. College is a new phase in a student's life. In high school, IEPs and 504s tend to focus on a student's deficits. A transition assessment may be the first time a student's voice is given priority. "When you help students know more about themselves earlier, they have more success."