Health Transition Wisconsin

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to a change in funding at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Title V Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program the Wisconsin Youth Health Transition Initiative (or YHTI) program will be ending its statewide work as of December 30, 2025. This includes activities such as the Learning Communities, Technical Assistance to Medical Systems, Transition Transmission, workshops (Transition Talks Tuesdays, Transition Care Mapping, Build Your Bridge, Bridging the Gap, etc), and consultation with transition partners to incorporate healthcare transition into other transition efforts. The Waisman Center is pursuing ways to continue this important systems change work, and welcomes partnerships to continue helping youth (especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities) become healthy, successful, self-determined adults.

Healthcare Transition is the change from pediatric to adult healthcare services. This transition can be very complex for youth with disabilities or special healthcare needs. This transition typically takes place between the ages of 12 and 26 years.

The Wisconsin Youth Health Transition Initiative aims to make healthcare transition easier for youth with special healthcare needs in Wisconsin. We do this by developing and sharing healthcare transition resources with families and healthcare providers. We also work with healthcare providers to support best practice transition care for patients with disabilities and special healthcare needs.

Our Initiative is based out of the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Waisman Center.

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For families: Statewide Transition Table Talks (online) 3rd Wednesday and Thursday of the month from 12-1PM Transition Table Talk is casual, low-pressure Zoom Chat where parents and caregivers can connect, shared what’s working, exchange ideas, ask questions, and support each other through the ups and downs of raising kids. No experts, no lectures-just families helping families. Resource Sheets from previous Talks are available!

Transition Talks Tuesdays: September – December 2025. You can find the recordings and resources at Recordings, and Resources

New: Basics of Health Insurance for Families of Children with Special Health Care Needs/Disabilities Recording Covering WI Resource Sheet Basics of Insurance Slides

Quarterly Learning Community

The Youth Health Transition Learning Community provides networking opportunities for anyone who wants to learn more about transition and how to move transition forward in their organization. This statewide group comes together virtually to share ideas and best practices around youth health transition. Recordings and Presentation Slides for previous Learning Communities are available at https://healthtransitionwi.org/health-transition-learning-community/

These webinars are for :

medical providers
parents and caregivers
service providers
school staff
others interested in supporting youth as they transition from adolescent to adult health care.

Transition Talks Tuesdays Slides and Resource Sheets are Available

Transition has many pieces! Learn about what those pieces are and how you can stay a step ahead so every child can be successful.

We are thankful to our past partners in developing each TTT Series. Each TTT Series has a variety of topics and includes recordings, resource sheets, and slides. Please remember these are snapshots in times and resources can change.

Previous Transition Talks Tuesdays Series

2025 Fall Transition Talks Tuesdays
2025 Spring Transition Talks Tuesdays with the Mount Horeb Area School District
2024 Fall Transition Talks Tuesdays with the Autism Society Affiliates of Wisconsin (Greater Wisconsin, South Central Wisconsin, Southeastern Wisconsin) and the Children’s Resource Center-South
2024 Spring Transition Talks Tuesdays with Columbus School District
2023 Fall Transition Talks Tuesdays with Sauk Prairie School District. Sessions are also available with Spanish interpretation thanks to Sauk Prairie School District, the Wisconsin Integrated Transition Planning Project, and Interpreters Cooperative, Madison.
2023 Spring Transition Talks Tuesdays with Vernon County Community (CCoT) on Transition and Crawford County Community on Transition (CCoT)
2022-2023 (Winter) Transition Talks Tuesdays with Madison Metropolitan School District
2022 (Winter/Spring) Transition Talks Tuesdays planned with New Lisbon High School in partnership with Juneau County Community on Transition (CCoT) and Adams-Friendship High School
2021 (Fall/Winter) Transition Talks Tuesdays with the School District of Janesville
2021 (Winter/Spring) Transition Talks Tuesdays with DeForest School District and the Autism Society of South Central Wisconsin
2021 (May) 5 County Transition Talks planned with the Green County Community on Transition (CCoT) in partnership with Grant, Iowa, Lafayette and Rock Counties CCoT along with the Wisconsin Youth Health Transition Initiative

Pre Fall 2024 Transition Talks Tuesdays Series were done in partnership and leadership of the Children’s Resource Center-South.

You can keep up on what is happening at our TTT page and/or join the Transition Transmission.

Health Care Transition for I/DD ECHO

Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes

Health care transition (HCT) is the process of preparing youth and young adults for the transition to a healthy adulthood. For many, this means moving from a pediatric to an adult model of health care. A lack of HCT preparation guidance is associated with gaps in care, worsening health conditions, dissatisfaction with care, and increased rates of hospitalization.

Previous Sessions and Topics (Mar-May 2024)

Health Care Transition Basics (3/8/2024)
Supported Decision-Making and Other Decision-Making Options (3/22/2024)
Strategies for Promoting Self-Advocate Independence with Health Care (4/12/2024)
Sexuality and Reproductive Health (4/26/2024)
Assessing Transition Readiness & Making a Plan (5/10/2024)
Communication and Technology (5/24/2024)

View Recordings

Previous Sessions and Topics(Jan-May 2025)

Working with Schools on Health Care Transition
(1/14/25)
Payment for Health Care Transition Services (3/11/25)
Role of Families from Different Cultures in Health Care Transition (4/8/25)
Mental Health Barriers and Options during the Transition to Adult Services (5/13/25)
Transition Services for those with Medical Complexity (6/10/25)

Integrated Transition Planning

We actively participate in the Wisconsin Integrated Transition Planning Project, also based out of the UW Waisman Center.

This Project brings together self advocates, family members, and people who work in education, employment, and healthcare. They work together to improve and simplify the transition planning process by promoting integrated transition planning.

Integrated transition planning is when youth with disabilities, their family members and service providers thoughtfully map out and prepare for the youth’s life as an adult. It integrates planning for the youth’s education, work, and healthcare to achieve their goals as an adult. Ideally, this planning occurs throughout childhood with more focused planning as the child becomes a teen.

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