Ready for what comes next.
The Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire is a free, validated, 20-question tool that helps youth, families and clinicians build the skills to move from pediatric to adult health care.
Readiness, not birthdays.
About 10 million U.S. children and youth have special health care needs or disabilities. Youth who can't yet manage their own care risk falling out of the adult health system. The TRAQ shows where a young person stands on the everyday skills of adult care, and where to start building them.
Managing Medications
Filling and reordering prescriptions, handling reactions, talking with the pharmacist.
02Appointment Keeping
Making appointments, following up on referrals, arranging rides.
03Tracking Health Issues
Medical history, calendars, raising concerns, joining medical decisions.
04Talking with Providers
Asking questions, asking for clarity, explaining health history.
Built for every side of the visit.
Clinicians use it to guide coaching, researchers to measure change, and young people to choose their next small step.
Turn a score into a conversation
Give the TRAQ every 6–12 months, review it with the youth, and use motivational interviewing to set 2–3 goals. Includes example dialogues for every score range.
How to use the TRAQ → ResearchersA validated, widely used measure
See the validation history and psychometrics, find studies worldwide, and partner with us by sharing de-identified data.
Research & references → Youth & familiesOne small goal at a time
From filling a prescription to asking your doctor a question, with videos and guides. Plus checklists for college and for youth with disabilities.
Transition goals →Every answer is a stage of change.
Responses run from "No, I do not know how" (pre-contemplation) to "Yes, I always do this" (mastery). That tells the care team how to coach, and tells the youth what to try next.
Assess
The youth completes the 20 items on their own, on paper or online.
Review together
Average each domain, look for patterns, and check importance and confidence.
Set 2–3 goals
Tie health skills to the youth's own life goals. Let them choose.
Follow up & transfer
Check in by score, re-assess, and refer to adult care once every domain averages 4 or more.
Do you reorder medications before they run out?
| Domain avg | What it suggests | Check in |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Not yet started. Build motivation. | ~1 month |
| 2–3 | Interested. Coach small steps. | ~2 months |
| 3–4 | Doing some. Tackle harder topics. | ~3 months |
| 4–5 | Consistent. Plan the transfer. | 6–12 months |
Free to use. Ready to print.
The current version is the 20-item TRAQ 6.0 (2021). We ask, but don't require, that you register so we can share updates and new studies.
All downloads, including Word versions and the spina bifida module →
After years at the University of Florida–Jacksonville and East Tennessee State University, the TRAQ now lives at UAB. It's still managed by Dr. David L. Wood, now with Betsy Hopson and the UAB Department of Medicine APEX team.
Read about the move →