Life-long individual planning in children with developmental disability: the active role of parents in the Italian experience.

Many young adults with neurodevelopmental disorders experience poor transition outcomes in key areas, including employment, health care, and independent living. Innovative welfare models highlight the importance of involving the local community, and in particular the parents, as important stakeholders capable to generate services and affect local economy. As indicated by the World Health Organization, the availability of person-centered responses, also providing a health budget, appears to be the basis for taking into account person's rights to self-determination. Health services and local stakeholders could play an important role to facilitate the implementation of support networks that are functional for an effective social inclusion. In order to improve current practices in transitioning to adulthood, it is of paramount importance to collect and learn from the living experience of people with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.