Services to Prepare Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for the Transition from School to Adult Life

Abstract

Transitioning to adult life is considered one of the most critical phases in the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). While studies have been published pertaining to the provision of transition services for students with IDD in some developed countries, such as the United States of America, little research has been carried out in this area in Saudi Arabia. This research gap is consistent with the lack of evidence-based services in Saudi Arabia to assist students with IDD in preparing for and transitioning to adult life. This study describes the provision of services supporting the transition for secondary students with IDD in Saudi Arabia, using the Taxonomy for Transition Programming developed by Kohler (1996) as a framework. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with eight special education teachers working with students with IDD. The results reveal four main findings: (a) the lack of transition services, (b) insufficient teacher preparation in transition services, (c) poor family-school relationships, and (d) teacher willingness to use the Taxonomy for transition programming with students. The study concludes with a discussion of the research limitations and recommendations. KEYWORDS Intellectual disability, autism, transition services, transition programs, Kohler taxonomy, Saudi Arabia