ABSTRACT
Today over 90% of all young people with special health care needs (SHCN), a group that includes youth with chronic illnesses, such as rheumatic diseases and asthma, survive into adulthood. This is exemplified by the improved long-term survival of young people with rheumatic diseases. The focus of outcome is now on the quality of their lives and not just their survival. There are three critical junctures for young people with SHCN: diagnosis, puberty, and school completion. Perhaps the most challenging of these is the transition to adulthood, a period of complex biological, social, and emotional change. This transition involves learning to move from (i) school to work, (ii) home to community, and (iii) pediatric-to adultoriented health care. This chapter focuses on the steps involved for the young person with rheumatic disease as he or she moves into adulthood and the how a health care professional can help the successful transition of an individual with rheumatic disease from adolescence to adulthood.
