Challenges to parental involvement in transition planning for children with intellectual disabilities: The perspective of special education teachers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: A transition plan refers to post-high school goals identified and developed on the basis of the needs, strengths, skills, and interests of students. A significant factor for achieving successful transition planning is parental involvement. In this regard, many studies in Saudi have explored the barriers to effective collaboration between schools and parents.

Aim: From the perspective of special education teachers, the study examined parental participation in transition planning for students with intellectual disability enrolled in schools in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, parental challenges were discussed.

Methods: A questionnaire was used to collect data from 91 special education teachers. The t-test, confirmatory factor analysis, and Cronbach's alpha were used for statistical analysis.

Outcomes and results: Results indicated that parents lacked participation in transition planning for several reasons, such as lack of time and lack of knowledge about transition. However, the study found that schools did not proactively seek parental participation nor provide substantial guidance about transition services to enable parents to provide a meaningful contribution to planning.

Conclusions and implications: Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Keywords: Challenge; Intellectual disability; Parental involvement; Saudi Arabia; Transition plan; Transition service.