Conditions to Thrive

Framework

What is the Conditions to Thrive Framework?

The Conditions to Thrive framework is a flexible set of exploratory questions that are designed to help practitioners identify the conditions that support an individual’s success across life domains.

Rather than focusing only on what a person can or cannot do, it examines the environmental conditions, accommodations, adaptive tools, resources, and human supports that enable meaningful participation, independence, and success.

The framework is not a checklist, standardized interview, or assessment that must be completed in its entirety. Practitioners should select relevant questions to guide conversations, observations, and information gathering, looking for patterns across settings and experiences. The goal is not to determine what an individual prefers, hopes to achieve, or is capable of doing, but to understand what needs to be in place around them for them to consistently perform at their best.

  • The framework is designed to be flexible. Use it as a guide for observations and conversations with students, team members, and family members to gather information, identify environmental supports and barriers, and facilitate collaborative planning. It can be incorporated into existing transition assessment and planning practices rather than used as a standalone assessment.

  • No! The framework is designed to be flexible, not a checklist. You can focus on the domains and questions most relevant to the individual and their circumstances. Use the questions as prompts to guide observations and conversations, adapting or expanding on them as needed.

  • Use the framework alongside existing assessments to identify areas where additional information may be needed. For example, use relevant questions during student interviews, family conversations, team meetings, or observations in school and community settings. Compare what you learn across these sources to identify environmental supports and barriers, then use those findings to inform transition goals, services, and recommendations in the student’s IEP.

Learning + Thinking

This domain represents the academic, cognitive, executive functioning, and self-management abilities that support understanding, problem-solving, and personal growth. It reflects how individuals approach learning, apply strategies, and build confidence in their ability to acquire and use new knowledge.

Guiding Question: 

What conditions help the individual learn, stay engaged, and develop new knowledge and skills throughout life?

    • Does the individual learn best by watching, listening, reading, doing, or some combination

    • Does the individual benefit from seeing an example of a completed task before beginning?

    • Are verbal directions easier to follow when they are given one step at a time or all at once?

    • How much time does the individual need to process a question or new information before responding?

    • Does the individual learn better through repeated practice or through varied examples and experiences?

    • Does the individual benefit from knowing what will happen, in what order, and for how long?

    • Does access to particular materials, technology, visuals, or tools noticeably increase independence?

    • How does the amount of noise or activity around the individual affect their concentration?

    • Does the individual focus better working alone, near other people, or directly with someone?

    • How long can the individual typically stay engaged before a break becomes helpful?

    • What type of break helps the individual return ready to continue?

    • Does the individual perform differently when a task is timed or there is pressure to finish quickly?

    • Are there particular times of day when learning or concentration seems easier?

    • When learning something unfamiliar, what level of challenge seems to keep the individual engaged without becoming overwhelmed?

    • What kind of feedback helps the individual continue without becoming discouraged or disengaged?

    • Does the individual prefer feedback during the activity or after they have finished?

    • Who is the individual most comfortable asking for help?

    • Does the individual need opportunities to practice something in the actual environment where they will use it?

    • What helps the individual use something they learned in one setting in a different setting?

    • How does the individual respond when instructions, routines, or expectations change unexpectedly?

    • How much advance notice of a change seems helpful?

Work + Purpose

This domain reflects the skills, habits, and attitudes that support participation in meaningful work and contribution. It encompasses career interests, personal values, and emerging purposes that guide decisions about employment, volunteering, or creative endeavors. Within this domain, data collection focuses on identifying strengths, preferences, and readiness skills that promote success in postsecondary work or training environments.

Guiding Question: 

What conditions help the individual successfully participate, contribute, and perform at their best in work or training environments?

    • How much structure and what type(s) of structure(s) support the individual's engagement during work times?

    • How much consistency or variation in tasks seems to work well for the individual?

    • What pace seems to support the individual's best performance?

    • How much predictability in the day's activities seems to support successful participation?

    • What helps the individual manage unexpected changes to tasks, expectations, or priorities? Hi

    • What types of directions or explanations seem to result in the individual's best understanding and performance?

    • How much direction or guidance seems to support the individual's best performance?

    • What type of feedback seems to help the individual maintain or improve their performance?

    • What characteristics do the people who successfully supervise or support the individual tend to have in common?

    • How much consistency in supervisors or support people seems important to the individual's success?

    • What does successful support from a supervisor or coworker look like for this individual?

    • In what social arrangements does the individual tend to work most successfully?

    • How does the amount of interaction with other people affect the individual's engagement or performance

    • How does familiarity with coworkers, supervisors, or other people affect the individual's participation?

    • What characteristics of the people around the individual seem to contribute to successful participation?

    • How does the number of people in the environment affect the individual's performance or comfort?

    • What characteristics of the physical environment seem to support the individual's best performance?

    • What characteristics of the physical environment tend to make successful participation more difficult?

    • How do noise, activity level, movement, or other sensory characteristics of the environment affect the individual?

    • How does the organization or layout of the workspace affect the individual's ability to participate successfully?

    • What tools, technology, or environmental supports have helped the individual perform successfully in vocational settings in the past?

    • What types of support seem to increase independence rather than create greater reliance on others?

    • When the individual is performing at their best, what kinds of supports are typically available?

    • When the individual requires substantially more support, what tends to be different about the environment?

Daily Living + Independence

This domain includes the functional and adaptive skills that allow individuals to manage personal, household, and community responsibilities. It reflects the capacity to make choices, solve problems, and live independently in everyday life.

Guiding Question: 

What conditions support the individual in successfully and independently managing personal and household responsibilities?

    • Where in the individual's day do personal or household routines tend to flow most successfully, and what seems to make those routines work?

    • Where in the day does the individual tend to need the most support with personal or household responsibilities, and what is different about those situations?

    • How much consistency in when and where everyday routines occur seems to support successful participation?

    • What helps the individual keep track of what needs to happen throughout the day or week?

    • What environmental cues naturally help the individual recognize when it is time to complete a personal or household responsibility?

    • What helps the individual keep track of the steps involved in recurring routines?

    • What helps the individual manage responsibilities that occur occasionally rather than as part of an established routine?

    • What helps when several personal or household responsibilities need to be managed within the same period of time?

    • What conditions help the individual move successfully from one daily responsibility to another?

    • What features of the home environment make personal and household routines easier to manage?

    • Are there features of the home environment that unintentionally make everyday responsibilities more difficult?

    • How does the organization of the home affect the individual's ability to manage everyday responsibilities?

    • How does the location or accessibility of commonly used items affect successful completion of daily routines?

    • How does the amount of clutter, visual information, or competing activity in the environment affect everyday functioning?

    • What environmental setup seems to support successful completion of personal care routines such as hygiene, dressing, or grooming?

    • What environmental setup seems to support successful completion of household routines such as cleaning, laundry, or meal preparation?

    • What tools or systems help the individual manage schedules, appointments, reminders, or recurring responsibilities?

    • What adaptive equipment, technology, or other tools make personal or household responsibilities easier to manage?

    • What tools or environmental arrangements appear to reduce the amount of assistance needed from another person?

    • What helps when a familiar personal or household routine changes unexpectedly?

    • What supports are most useful when the individual encounters an unexpected problem during an everyday routine?

    • What specific internal or external triggers consistently lead to task avoidance or procrastination?

    • How does the individual respond to feeling overwhelmed by a task, and what strategies help them re-engage?

    • What pacing strategies or rest intervals enable the individual to sustain activity throughout the day?

    • At what points during personal or household routines does assistance from another person tend to become necessary?

    • What type of assistance from another person seems to support successful participation without taking over the responsibility?

    • What characteristics do people who successfully support the individual with everyday responsibilities tend to have in common?

    • How does the timing or availability of support from others affect successful completion of everyday responsibilities?

    • How does having other people nearby affect the individual's management of personal or household routines?

    • Are there situations where the way support is provided appears to unintentionally reduce the individual's independence?

    • Are there responsibilities the individual manages successfully when a particular person, tool, or environmental support is available but has difficulty managing when it is absent?

    • Are there personal or household responsibilities the individual manages successfully in one setting but has difficulty managing in another? What is different about those environments?

    • Are there parts of a routine where changing the physical environment could reduce the need for assistance from another person?

    • Are there areas where changing the environment could allow the individual to take a more active role in managing their own responsibilities?

    • Where does the individual's current environment naturally promote independence in personal or household responsibilities?

    • Where does the individual's current environment create unnecessary reliance on other people?

Community + Belonging

This domain represents the social, communication, and community participation characteristics that foster connection and inclusion. It highlights how individuals build relationships, engage in shared activities, and experience belonging within their social and community environments.

Guiding Question: 

What conditions within the social, communication, and physical environment support the individual's ability to connect with others, build relationships, and participate meaningfully?

    • What characteristics do people with whom the individual has developed successful relationships tend to have in common?

    • In what types of social situations does interaction seem to occur most naturally and comfortably for the individual?

    • How does the number of people present affect the individual's participation or engagement

    • How does familiarity with the people present affect the individual's social participation

    • How does familiarity with the setting affect the individual's social participation?

    • What seems to help the individual become comfortable with unfamiliar people or in unfamiliar social environments?

    • Are there people with whom the individual communicates or interacts much more successfully than with others? What is different about those interactions?

    • How does the amount of structure within a social activity affect the individual's participation?

    • What features of shared activities seem to make interaction and connection easier?

    • How does having a clear role or purpose within a group affect the individual's participation

    • How does unstructured social time affect the individual's engagement with others?

    • What helps the individual successfully navigate transitions between activities, people, or social settings?

    • How does the length of a social activity or interaction affect the individual's participation?

    • How does the pace of a social activity or interaction affect the individual's participation?

    • Are there activities in which social interaction occurs more naturally than in other settings? What conditions seem to account for that difference?

    • How does consistency in the people, location, schedule, or format of an activity affect participation?

    • How would changes in routines, responsibilities, or expectations affect the person's interactions with others?

    • How does the pace of conversation or interaction affect the individual's continued participation in a communicative exchange? 

    • How do different ways of communicating (talking in person, emailing, texting, phone calls, written) affect the individual's participation in communication?

    • How does the amount of conversation expected within an activity affect successful participation?

    • What characteristics of communication from others make interaction easier for the individual?

    • How does the individual respond when communication is direct and explicit versus indirect or implied?

    • What communication supports help the individual understand what others are saying or expecting?

    • What communication supports make it easier for the individual to express themselves and participate in interactions?

    • Are there environments where the individual's usual communication system is easier or harder to access successfully? What is different about those environments?

    • How do others respond to the individual's communication attempts, and how does that response affect continued participation?

    • What do successful communication partners seem to do differently when interacting with the individual?

    • How does noise level affect the individual's communication and social participation?

    • How do crowds, movement, lighting, physical proximity, or other sensory characteristics affect social participation?

    • Are there sensory conditions that make it more difficult for the individual to attend to or communicate with other people?

    • What environmental conditions allow the individual to remain socially involved without becoming overwhelmed?

    • How does the physical layout of a setting affect opportunities for the individual to interact or participate with others?

    • What types of environmental or logistical barriers interfere with the individual's participation in community activities?

    • How does transportation or physical access affect the individual's consistent participation in social or community activities?

    • What preparation or information seems to help the individual successfully enter a new social or community environment?

    • What supports are most helpful when the individual encounters an unfamiliar social situation?

    • Does having a familiar person available affect participation in unfamiliar settings, and if so, what does that person do that is helpful?

    • What type and amount of human support seems to facilitate participation without unnecessarily separating the individual from others?

    • Are there situations where support from an adult, staff member, family member, or other person unintentionally interferes with natural interaction or connection?

    • What supports seem to create opportunities for interaction rather than requiring or directing interaction?

    • Are there social or community environments where the individual participates successfully with relatively little support? What is different about those environments?

Health + Wellness

This domain encompasses the physical, emotional, and mental health factors that influence quality of life and overall stability. It includes maintaining physical health, managing stress and emotional well-being, accessing and participating in healthcare, and engaging in routines that support health, such as physical activity, sleep, nutrition, medication management, and opportunities for rest and regulation.

Guiding Question: 

What conditions and supports help the individual consistently maintain their physical, emotional, and mental well-being?

    • What opportunities has the individual had to participate in physical activity or exercise

    • What opportunities has the individual had to explore activities that support relaxation, stress management, or emotional well-being?

    • What opportunities has the individual had to learn about or participate in managing their own health?

    • What healthcare services and providers does the individual currently have access to?

    • What characteristics of healthcare providers seem to support successful interactions with the individual?

    • What preparation, information, or support seems to make unfamiliar healthcare experiences easier to navigate

    • What environmental or human supports help reduce barriers to attending appointments or accessing needed healthcare

    • Are there differences between healthcare settings in which the individual participates successfully and those that are more difficult? What seems to account for those differences?

    • What conditions make it easier for the individual to communicate stress, discomfort, pain, fatigue, or other health-related needs

    • What characteristics of the people or environment make it more likely that the individual's health-related communication will be noticed and responded to appropriately?

    • What conditions tend to be present during periods when the individual appears particularly well-regulated and balanced?

    • What environmental conditions tend to contribute to increased stress, fatigue, discomfort, or dysregulation?

    • How does the overall pace or number of demands in the individual's day affect their well-being?

    • How does the balance between demands and downtime affect the individual's ability to maintain wellness throughout the day?

    • Are there particular points in the day or week when maintaining physical or emotional well-being becomes more difficult? What seems to be different during those times?

    • What amount of predictability in daily routines seems to support the individual's overall stability?

    • How do unexpected changes, disruptions, or uncertainty affect the individual's physical or emotional well-being?

    • What environmental conditions seem to help the individual recover following a stressful, demanding, or overwhelming experience?

    • What resources or supports help prevent stress from accumulating across the day or week?

    • How do noise, lighting, crowds, temperature, smells, movement, textures, or other sensory characteristics affect the individual's overall well-being?

    • What sensory characteristics are typically present in environments where the individual appears most comfortable and regulated?

    • Are there sensory demands that the individual can manage for short periods but that become difficult with prolonged exposure?

    • Who tends to recognize changes in the individual's well-being early, and what do they notice?

    • What do others do that seems to help when the individual is experiencing stress, discomfort, or emotional difficulty?

    • Are there ways that others respond to stress or distress that appear to make the situation more difficult?

    • What type of support helps the individual regain stability while maintaining as much autonomy as possible?

    • How does access to trusted people affect the individual's ability to navigate stressful or difficult situations?

    • What resources are available when the individual's usual wellness routines or supports are disrupted?

    • What tends to interfere with the consistency of routines related to sleep, nutrition, movement, or other aspects of physical wellness?

    • How does the timing or scheduling of wellness-related routines affect how consistently they are maintained?

    • What helps the individual keep track of medications, appointments, health information, or other ongoing healthcare responsibilities?

    • What tools, technology, or systems help the individual manage health-related information and responsibilities?

    • What level of human assistance is needed to consistently maintain health and wellness routines related to sleep, nutrition, movement, or other aspects of physical and mental wellness?

    • At what points in health or wellness routines does assistance from another person tend to become particularly important?

Feedback and Future Development 

The Conditions to Thrive Framework is intended to evolve through continued use and feedback from practitioners. 

We would like to hear about how you are using the framework, what has been helpful, and what could be improved. Your feedback will help inform future revisions and resources. 

Share your feedback here.  

Using and Sharing the Framework 

The Conditions to Thrive Framework is intended to be a practical resource for transition assessment and planning. Practitioners are welcome to use the framework at no cost as part of their professional practice. 

The framework may be used to guide conversations, observations, and information gathering and to inform transition assessment reports, IEPs, recommendations, and other planning activities. Practitioners may adapt how individual questions are asked to meet the communication and access needs of the individual. 

When sharing or referencing the framework, please provide appropriate credit to the authors. 

The framework may not be republished, substantially modified, sold, or incorporated into another product or assessment without permission from the authors. 

Acknowledgments 

The Conditions to Thrive Framework was developed to support a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between individuals and the environments in which they live, learn, work, and participate. The framework reflects a collaborative development process informed by the professional experiences and perspectives of individuals working across disciplines. 

We extend our appreciation to the individuals who contributed to the development, review, and refinement of this resource. 

➔ Hannah Landerer, M.S., CRC, CESP 

➔ Erin Wells, OTD, OTR/L 

➔ Bianca Raucci, M.S., CCC-SLP 

➔ Stanley Bloom, Ed.S., M.Ed., BCBA, LBA-HI 

➔ Rebecca Munday