Understanding Parental Adaptation and Participation During the Transition Into Kindergarten Among Parents of Children With Disabilities

• In Event: Excellence in Education Research: Early Career Scholars and Their Work

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the proposed study is to confirm and identify parent adjustment and participation during a child’s transition from preschool to kindergarten among families who have children with disabilities. The study will use data from the Pre-elementary Educational Longitudinal (PEELS) data set (Institute of Education Sciences) and attempt to confirm parent adjustment and participation in the form of a latent variable.
Theoretical Framework: The proposed study is supported by the Transition Conceptual Framework (Rous, Hallam, Harbin, McCormick, & Jung, 2007) which utilizes an ecological approach to depict that the transitions for young children with disabilities are influenced by the complex interactions between child and family characteristics, and community and state level systems. Rous and colleagues (2007) posit that when young children enter a new program, their families go through this transition as well. Thus, families are required to adjust to the structure and culture of the new program (Harbin, et al., 2007). Unlike other theories which emphasize child outcomes as indicators of transition success (Rimm-Kaufman & Pianta, 2000), this framework offers a unique contribution by recognizing the importance of transition outcomes for both children with disabilities and their families. One of the most important dimensions of family adjustment is family adaptation and participation during the child’s transition. In the end, successful adjustment on the part of the family may directly influence successful child transition into the new setting or program. The current study is the first step of a larger secondary data analysis study using the PEELS data set empirically testing the Transition Conceptual Framework.

Author

• Helena Mawdsley, University of Florida