Stakeholders’ Voices: Defining Needs of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Transitioning between School Settings

Abstract

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) too often do not receive adequate services or care in their school settings, particularly during transitions in educational placements. In addition, school support teams often struggle with creating transition plans that honor the needs of students with input from key stakeholders responsible for supporting student success. This article presents findings from the information-gathering phase of an iterative project that aims to develop a support program for students with EBD transitioning from day-treatment schools to district schools. We conducted 5 semistructured, qualitative focus groups with parents and teachers to explore needs during students’ transitions between school settings. Five themes emerged from the focus groups: (a) consistent, behavior-specific feedback and positive reinforcement are vital to sustaining learned prosocial skills; (b) students benefit from regular opportunities to learn and practice social skills; (c) transition programming should emphasize communication between school and home; (d) routines at home and school should be coordinated; and (e) parents need support at school meetings. We will use findings from this study to develop a multifaceted intervention that aims to support students, their caregivers, and their teachers during transitions between the aforementioned types of schools.

Moving to secondary school for children with ASN: a systematic review of international literature

“…Where there are studies other than those for children with autism, which was the most frequently researched topic, these are few and mostly small‐scale in design. In the context of social, emotional and behavioural needs, the needs of children who may be vulnerable or ‘at risk’, including those who are looked‐after children, are discussed by Bloyce and Frederickson (), Buchanan et al () and Yadav et al (). Several papers discuss aspects of mental health, including anxiety (Jindal‐Snape et al, ; Neal et al, ; Zeedyk et al, ) and self‐esteem (Poorthuis et al, ).…”

“…Buchanan et al () discuss their American study which focused on the transition to secondary school of children with emotional, social and behavioural needs. Their qualitative study included children who were moving from specialist provision into a mainstream school and included parents’ and teachers’ needs and the support that they sought at this transition time.…”

“…The rise in the number of children with mental health conditions noted in some of the studies and literature reviews suggests that there is an increasing population of children for whom the anxieties related to school transition continue beyond the initial 'settling-in' period. Buchanan et al (2016) discuss their American study which focused on the transition to secondary school of children with emotional, social and behavioural needs. Their qualitative study included children who were moving from specialist provision into a mainstream school and included parents' and teachers' needs and the support that they sought at this transition time.…”

Educational transition outcomes of children and adolescents with clinically relevant emotional or behavioural disorders: results of a systematic review

“…While many students successfully meet the challenges of educational transitions and continue to display a positive development after transitioning (Lucey & Reay, 2000), children and adolescents with clinically relevant emotional or behavioural disorders (EBDs) -that is, psychological disorders in childhood and adolescence that can be diagnosed according to classification systems such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5;APA, 2013) or the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10;WHO, 1992) -are at risk for negative transitional experiences. Various studies have documented the specific challenges of educational transitions for children and adolescents with EBDs from the perspective of parents (for example, Buchanan et al, 2016;Connolly & Gersch, 2016), teachers or school staff (for example, Beamish et al, 2014;Meiring et al, 2016), therapists (Derenne, 2013) and employers (Walsh, 2010). For instance, parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) described a 'struggle with the educational system' (Connolly & Gersch, 2016) while trying to place their child in an adequate school.…”

“…For instance, parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) described a 'struggle with the educational system' (Connolly & Gersch, 2016) while trying to place their child in an adequate school. Teachers stated that while an effective communication between the school and the parents of children with EBDs was especially vital for a successful transition, it was not always a given (Buchanan et al, 2016).…”