Addition to Transition Assessment Resources: A Template for Determining the Use of Guardianship Alternatives for Students who have Intellectual Disability

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to add to the transition assessment resources by introducing the Guardianship Alternative Assessment Template (GAAT) as it relates to guardianship prevention for youth and adults who have an intellectual disability. Guardianship refers to a legal intervention when a court determines that adult individuals are incapable of caring for themselves or property and gives all or some of their civil and legal rights to another, a guardian. With the specific purpose of offering a systematic, interrelated resource that addresses guardianship issues, the assessment template was derived from combining assessment ideas and work of the following systems: education, mental health, and judicial. The GAAT addresses the individual's vision and values; daily living and cognitive functioning; risk of harm and least restrictive guardianship alternatives; and opportunities to enhance capacity. Because the GAAT is comprehensive and considers the student in a holistic manner, it can serve as a resource for eliciting assessment results that will assist with transition planning regarding academics and functional life skills for students with intellectual disabilities who may be in jeopardy of losing civil and legal rights, particularly when their competence and capacity to make decisions are questioned.