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Every year of our lives, we experience the changing of seasons. While some aspects of each season are predictable, others are not, and people do not necessarily experience them in the same way. For example, while we can expect that the winter will bring snow, we don’t always know when it will start or how much will fall. Also, persons living in different cities, provinces, and countries will not necessarily face the same winter weather.
Much like seasons, persons go through a number of stages over the course of their lives, and this is no less true for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each change represents a move away from the known (or ‘what was’) and toward the unknown (or ‘what will be’), which can be both exciting and scary. In this time, persons must set out their objectives, evaluate the paths available to them, and choose the one that that will bring them closer to their goals. This planning and preparation can be even more daunting to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, as they must often make the same types of life decisions from a much more limited set of options.
In this issue, we examine not necessarily the seasons themselves, but rather the changing of seasons. In particular, we explore the transition experiences of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families across time – from childhood to adulthood.
The issue begins with an examination of the transition of children into school and social activities. Levy and Perry studied the transition of children with autism from intensive behavioural intervention (IBI) programs into the school system in Ontario (Canada), with special attention to the transition-related beliefs of IBI program and school staff. They found that program and school staff had differing views on the transition process, which were then reflected in the transition experiences of children. The implications of their findings for both research and practice are discussed. Clifford, Minnes, Lopes, and Ouellette-Kuntz, while also concerned with the transition of children into the school system (Canada), focus on factors that predict the involvement of children in organized social activities. These authors found that respite use (prior to entry into school), family income, and parents’ level of education were positively correlated to participation in social activities. They also found that the parents of children who participated in social activities reported higher overall satisfaction with their child’s quality of life. Evidently, the transition into the school system impacts not only the child, but the family as well.
Having examined the transition of children into school, the transition of adolescents out of school follows. Williams-Diehm, Wehmeyer, Palmer, Soukup, and Garner considered the involvement of students in transition planning in 33 school districts across 5 states (USA). They found that students who actively participated in transition planning tended to be more self-determined. Implications for families and teachers in the promotion of self-determination to increase participation in transition planning are discussed. In their article, Minnes, Burbidge, Ouellette-Kuntz, and Buell examine the support needs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities leaving high school (Canada). The results of their study suggest that the majority of students were not involved in employment or volunteering activities and that involvement was related to maladaptive behaviour.
Two papers are then presented that examine transition services for high school students abroad. Lin discusses factors related to transition service planning among students in Taiwan. He found that services focusing on post-secondary education were most highly ranked, and that the quality of transition services was related to the student’s level of intellectual impairment and the family’s socioeconomic status. Based on findings, recommendations are made regarding school policies, transition practices, and future research. In their discussion of the transition pathways experienced by students in the UK, Abbott and Heslop highlight the lack of support available to students who aspire to work and live independently. In spite of having national policy and guidelines in place regarding transitions, it is clear that a number of students are falling through the cracks.
Next, the perspectives of parents are presented. Specifically, Kraemer and Blacher present findings from their in-depth interviews with Anglo and Hispanic parents (US) on their child’s transition out of school. They found that, regardless of culture, parents preferred that their children work in integrated environments, though they believed that they were most likely to work in more restrictive settings. Compared to Anglo parents, Hispanic parents were less likely to believe their children would live independently after high school, and more likely to report feeling left-out of the transition planning process. The implications for staff working with families during the transition period are discussed. In their article, Jobe and Glidden identify factors that predict maternal rewards and worries related to their child’s transition to adulthood (UK). They found that extraversion, well-being, and adaptive and maladaptive behaviour together predicted 32.7% of the variance in mothers’ general positive orientation to their child’s future. The utility of study findings in targeting families who may have trouble during this time of transition and who could benefit from additional support are discussed.
Two articles by Beyer and Kaehne are included that deal with the barriers faced by students in the UK transitioning out of school to employment, as well as carer perspectives on that transition. In their first article, they compare the vocational advice provided to 87 students by staff in schools/colleges to that from staff in transition support organizations external to the schools. Analyses revealed significant differences in the advice provided, as well as a relationship between the advice given and subsequent employment. The second article provides information from interviews with 87 carers, and reveals that employment as a post-school option was not sufficiently addressed by staff from career services, though it was by staff from employment services. Results show that employment organizations need to be more actively involved in the transition process earlier on so that both students and carers can be made aware of vocational options.
The next article reflects the experience of Emmanuel, a 17-year old young man with an intellectual disability living in a child-welfare supported foster home. Using his words, we get to understand what independence means to Emmanuel, and what he sees for himself in the future. Fudge-Schormans and Rooke then discuss the experience of persons transitioning out of the child welfare system in Ontario (Canada). Several themes are identified from their focus group discussions with young adults with intellectual/developmental disability who have left the child welfare system and members of the community (i.e., child welfare social workers, adult protective service workers, foster parents, and residential services staff). In particular, concerns regarding the appropriateness of residential arrangements and the vulnerability of persons leaving the child welfare system were mentioned, and well-being, systemic barriers, devaluation and rights emerged as central, and overlapping, themes. The need for change in the way young adults transition out of the child welfare system is highlighted.
Last, Martin provides insight into the changes experienced by persons residing in Ontario’s (Canada) remaining institutions for persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities, in the years leading to their closure. This study examines changes in function, health, mood, behaviour, and family involvement using baseline (i.e., 2005) and follow-up (i.e., 2006) assessment information on 826 residents after the first year of closure. The results indicated that significant changes in functioning, health, and behaviour occurred over the course of the year, especially among older adults and persons with more severe cognitive impairment. The implications of findings for individual-level transition planning are discussed.
In this issue, the transition experiences of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families were discussed at different stages of life, from different perspectives, and in different countries. Though individual experiences themselves differ tremendously, the overall theme appears constant – much change in policy and practice is needed for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their family to fully prepare for and participate in their own life transitions, as well as to ensure the success of those transitions.
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