Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T05:06:30.607Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Transitions for Students With Intellectual Disability and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder: Carer and Teacher Perspectives*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2016

Iva Strnadová Open the ORCID record for Iva Strnadová [Opens in a new window] ,
Therese M. Cumming Open the ORCID record for Therese M. Cumming [Opens in a new window]  and
Joanne Danker
Iva Strnadová*
Affiliation:
School of Education, UNSWAustralia
Therese M. Cumming
Affiliation:
School of Education, UNSWAustralia
Joanne Danker
Affiliation:
School of Education, UNSWAustralia
*
Correspondence: Iva Strnadová, School of Education, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Schooling transitions are often challenging experiences for students with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder (ID/ASD), their families, and their teachers. Transition processes, particularly planning, can facilitate successful transitions from primary to secondary schools, and to postschool settings. Bronfenbrenner's ecological model served as a theoretical framework to examine parents’ and teachers’ experiences with transitions for students with ID/ASD attending special schools. The authors interviewed 14 carers and 13 teachers of students with ID/ASD attending special government schools in New South Wales. The interviews were analysed using content analysis. The findings of this small-scale Australian study indicate that although transition practices varied widely by school, both parents and teachers perceived that more can be done to support students with ID/ASD during these times. School–home collaboration and access to information about postschool settings were areas that were emphasised by both groups. Furthermore, the lack of student involvement in transition meetings was of great concern, given that student-focused planning is a well-established evidence-based transition practice. The processes that are implemented to support students with ID/ASD require closer scrutiny, as results revealed inconsistencies in transition planning across schools, and both parents and teachers suggested ways to strengthen transition processes.

Keywords

transitionsintellectual disabilityautism spectrum disordercarers’ and teachers’ experiencesBronfenbrenner's ecological model
Type
Original Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 40 , Issue 2 , December 2016 , pp. 141 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

This manuscript was accepted under the Editorship of Umesh Sharma.

References

Beamish, W., Meadows, D., & Davies, M. (2012). Benchmarking teacher practice in Queensland transition programs for youth with intellectual disability and autism. The Journal of Special Education, 45, 227–241. doi:10.1177/0022466910366602 Google Scholar
Bhaumik, S., Watson, J., Barrett, M., Raju, B., Burton, T., & Forte, J. (2011). Transition for teenagers with intellectual disability: Carers’ perspectives. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 8, 53–61. doi:10.1111/j.1741-1130.2011.00286.x Google Scholar
Blacher, J., Kraemer, B. R., & Howell, E. J. (2010). Family expectations and transition experiences for young adults with severe disabilities: Does syndrome matter? Advances in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, 4 (1), 3–16. doi:10.5042/amhld.2010.0052 Google Scholar
Brantlinger, E., Jimenez, R., Klinger, J., Pugach, M., & Richardson, V. (2005). Qualitative studies in special education. Exceptional Children, 71, 195–207. doi:10.1177/001440290507100205 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. In International encyclopedia of education (Vol. 3, 2nd ed., pp. 1643–1647). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Cobb, R. B., & Alwell, M. (2009). Transition planning/coordinating interventions for youth with disabilities: A systematic review. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 32, 70–81. doi:10.1177/0885728809336655 Google Scholar
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research. Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Davies, M. D., & Beamish, W. (2009). Transitions from school for young adults with intellectual disability: Parental perspectives on “life as an adjustment”. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 34, 248–257. doi:10.1080/13668250903103676 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dillon, G. V., & Underwood, J. D. M. (2012). Parental perspectives of students with autism spectrum disorders transitioning from primary to secondary school in the United Kingdom. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 27, 111–121. doi:10.1177/1088357612441827 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elo, S., & Kyngäs, H. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62, 107–115. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04569.x Google Scholar
Flexer, R. W., Baer, R. M., Luft, P., & Simmons, T. J. (2012). Transition planning for secondary students with disabilities (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Gargiulo, R., & Kilgo, J. (2005). Young children with special needs (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Clifton Park.Google Scholar
Gillan, D., & Coughlan, B. (2010). Transition from special education into postschool services for young adults with intellectual disability: Irish parents’ experience. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 7, 196–203. doi:10.1111/j.1741-1130.2010.00265.x Google Scholar
Graneheim, U. H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: Concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Education Today, 24, 105–112. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2003.10.001 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Griffin, M. M., Taylor, J. L., Urbano, R. C., & Hodapp, R. M. (2014). Involvement in transition planning meetings among high school students with autism spectrum disorders. The Journal of Special Education, 47, 256–264. doi:10.1177/0022466913475668 Google Scholar
Hetherington, S. A., Durant-Jones, L., Johnson, K., Nolan, K., Smith, E., Taylor-Brown, S., & Tuttle, J. (2010). The lived experiences of adolescents with disabilities and their parents in transition planning. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 25, 163–172. doi:10.1177/1088357610373760 Google Scholar
Hodgetts, S., Nicholas, D., & Zwaigenbaum, L. (2013). Home sweet home? Families’ experiences with aggression in children with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 28, 166–174. doi:10.1177/1088357612472932 Google Scholar
Kohler, P. D., & Field, S. (2003). Transition-focused education: Foundation for the future. The Journal of Special Education, 37, 174–183. doi:10.1177/00224669030370030701 Google Scholar
Mazzotti, V. L., Test, D. W., & Mustian, A. L. (2014). Secondary transition evidence-based practices and predictors: Implications for policymakers. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 25, 5–18. doi:10.1177/1044207312460888 Google Scholar
McGill, P., Tennyson, A., & Cooper, V. (2006). Parents whose children with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour attend 52-week residential schools: Their perceptions of services received and expectations of the future. British Journal of Social Work, 36, 597–616. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bch297 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mustian, A., Mazzotti, V. L., & Test, D. W. (2013). Disseminating evidence-based practices in secondary education. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 15, 197–204. doi:10.1177/1098300712459355 Google Scholar
O'Neill, S. C., Strnadová, I., & Cumming, T. M. (2016). Evidence-based transition planning practices for secondary students with disabilities: What has Australia signed up for? Australasian Journal of Special Education. Advance online publication. doi:10.1017/jse.2015.15 Google Scholar
Patel, M., & Rose, J. (2014). Students’ attitudes towards individuals with an intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 18, 90–103. doi:10.1177/1744629513511355 Google Scholar
Raghavan, R., Pawson, N., & Small, N. (2013). Family carers’ perspectives on post-school transition of young people with intellectual disabilities with special reference to ethnicity. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 57, 936–946. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2012.01588.x Google Scholar
Reid, B., & Batten, A. (2006). B is for bullied: The experiences of children with autism and their families. London, England: The National Autistic Society.Google Scholar
Rodger, S., O'Keefe, A., Cook, M., & Jones, J. (2012). Parents’ and service providers’ perceptions of the family goal setting tool: A pilot study. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25, 360–371. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3148.2011.00674.x CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shogren, K. A., & Plotner, A. J. (2012). Transition planning for students with intellectual disability, autism, or other disabilities: Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 50, 16–30. doi:10.1352/1934-9556-50.1.16 Google Scholar
Sitlington, P. L., Neubert, D. A., & Clark, G. M. (2010). Transition education and services for students with disabilities (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Strnadová, I., & Cumming, T. M. (2014a). Importance of quality transition processes for students with disabilities across settings: Learning from the current situation in New South Wales. Australian Journal of Education, 58, 318–336. doi:10.1177/0004944114543603 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strnadová, I., & Cumming, T. (2014b). Teacher perceptions of the transition process for students with developmental disabilities who attend special schools in New South Wales. In Higgins, K. & Boone, R. (Eds.), 2014 UNSW/UNLV Building Bridges Conference Proceedings (pp. 84–90). Sydney: UNSW Australia. Retrieved from https://education.arts.unsw.edu.au/media/EDUCFile/Building_Bridges_Conference_Refeered_Proceedings.pdf Google Scholar
Strnadová, I., & Cumming, T. M. (2016). Lifespan transitions and disability: A holistic perspective. London, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Strnadová, I., & Evans, D. (2013). Schooling transitions within the lifespan of people with an intellectual disability: Perceptions and recommendations of ageing mothers. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 37, 64–78. doi:10.1017/jse.2013.7 Google Scholar
Test, D. W., Fowler, C. H., Richter, S. M., White, J., Mazzotti, V., Walker, A. R., . . . Kortering, L. (2009). Evidence-based practices in secondary transition. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 32, 115–128. doi:10.1177/0885728809336859 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., Javitz, H., & Valdes, K. (2012). A national picture of parent and youth participation in IEP and transition planning meetings. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 23, 140–155. doi:10.1177/1044207311425384 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wehman, P. (2013). Transition from school to work: Where are we and where do we need to go? Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 36, 58–66. doi:10.1177/2165143413482137 Google Scholar