A longitudinal study exploring post-school transitions of young people with learning disabilities

: perspectives of young people, parents and professionals

Abstract

This is a longitudinal study that aimed to explore the planning and preparation, and experiences of post-school transition of young people with learning disabilities in both, mainstream and special schools within one local authority in Scotland. Data were drawn from semi-structured interviews with the young people, parents and professionals, and also from questionnaire with parents, at three different stages, covering a period from the final year at school, up to the first year at college. In addition, observation was undertaken of two review meetings in one special school.

The results found that despite all young people’s post-school destination being college, they went through a variety of experiences, suggesting that a different approach needs to be taken to planning and preparation to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. The study revealed that despite many improvements, there was still a lack of information about the post-school provisions for the young people among the school staff and other professionals. The study proposes that the role of parents is as important as the role of the school staff.

The study also makes some recommendations for future research, policy and practice.

Date of Award	2014
Original language	English
Sponsors	Malaysia Ministry of Education
Supervisor	Divya Jindal-Snape (Supervisor) & Murray Simpson (Supervisor)