Parental Perspectives of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders Transitioning From Primary to Secondary School in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Transferring from mainstream primary to secondary school can be especially problematic for children with an autism spectrum disorder. Two groups of parents (nine pretransition and six posttransition parents) contributed to this 15-monthlong study. Perceptions of the pretransition group were captured through focus groups and in-depth interviews at three critical times: before transition, one term in, and after a full year of secondary schooling. The posttransition group provided retrospective perceptions. The data, coded using a grounded theory approach, confirmed that transition was problematic in the first year, although there were signs of integration by the second year of secondary school. The establishment of friendship groups and peer acceptance appeared to be the key criteria for successful transition.

Parent perspectives of children with autism spectrum disorder transitioning from primary to secondary school in New Zealand

“…Those who expressed negative views either had low expectations of the success of the upcoming process or thought that things 'could only improve' for their child in secondary school settings. Those with more positive past experiences tended to be more optimistic, but these parents too expressed caution about the outcome of the upcoming transition process for their child (Dillon & Underwood, 2012). Some were concerned with the sensory and physical difficulties their child had to deal with when entering a school that was larger and busier than their previous placement.…”

“…Not enough communication with the new school featured in some remarks while other parents felt they had too much -as if the school depended on them throughout the day (Dillon & Underwood, 2012). Participation from other agencies and support persons could be very limited.…”

“…However, the success of these measures seemed to depend on how well ASD as a diagnosis was understood and the attitudes of both teachers and head teachers towards inclusion (Tobin et al, 2012). Peer support was recognised as having a significant role within a smooth transition, yet researchers noted that few students themselves were offered a leadership role within this process (Dillon & Underwood, 2012).…”

“…Parent perspectives of the transition from primary to secondary school of members of this group is more limited, although a small number of more recently published studies shows an increasing interest in this area. Two recent studies investigating transitional experiences for students with ASD in this area in England provided a detailed source of information and inspiration for this study (Dillon & Underwood, 2012;Tobin et al, 2012). Both sets of researchers gathered the perspectives of parents of students with ASD using a focus group methodology.…”

“…Both sets of researchers gathered the perspectives of parents of students with ASD using a focus group methodology. Dillon et al (2012) worked with two focus groups of six individuals each, with a pre-transition and a posttransition stage focus. Tobin, et al (2012), held one focus group with seven parents, with a follow up "telephone discussion with four parents 18 months later" (p. 77).…”