Abstract
Despite the need and importance of parent involvement and expectations, many parents report that they feel uninvolved in transition planning. Research has also shown that parents feel transition planning does not address a child’s individual needs and that it is often rushed. IDEA requires transition goals and services to start when a child is 16 years old, which some parents have indicated is too late for the plans to be meaningful or effective. The purpose of this study was to examine parents’ perceptions of their child’s transition process during their middle school education. A qualitative study was conducted to seek purposeful data through sampling. Participants were selected due to the fact that they had a child in one of the two middle schools who has been diagnosed with a disability. The participants were provided with a survey in which they returned anonymously, answering questions that related to their perspectives on services provided to their child related to transitioning into a functionally, independent adult. Thirty-three parents responded to the survey out of one hundred and seventy-eight surveys that were sent out. Overwhelmingly parents responded that teaching transition skills was something they believed was important in middle school. Based on the survey, parents are interested in their children learning about many different transition skills in middle school, and starting to discuss postsecondary goals and services during middle school. Overall, findings suggest that most parents are already thinking about these topics, with majority starting the conversation with their children around the age of 10.