Challenges to parental involvement in transition planning for children with intellectual disabilities: The perspective of special education teachers in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi schools leave parents out of transition planning, but a newly validated Arabic tool now lets teams measure and fix the gap.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Almalki et al. (2021) asked Saudi special-education teachers about parent roles in transition planning. They used a short survey. Teachers described what stops parents from joining meetings for students with intellectual disability.
What they found
Most teachers said parents rarely show up. The big reasons were busy work hours, parents not knowing what transition means, and schools forgetting to send invites or explain the process. In short, schools sideline parents.
How this fits with other research
Alqahtani et al. (2026) extends this picture. The same year the teachers cried "no parents," those researchers finished an Arabic version of Kohler’s transition-rating tool. Now schools have a valid checklist to see how well they involve families.
Chandroo et al. (2020) shows the gap is wider. Australian students with autism also said, "No one asks us." Both studies point to the same flaw: transition meetings run without the two key people—students and parents.
Carson et al. (2017) proves the knowledge gap is old news. A U.S. survey of IDD families found most parents did not know what services exist. Saeed’s Saudi data echo that finding four years later, showing the problem crosses borders.
Why it matters
If parents stay clueless and uninvited, transition plans gather dust. Use the new Arabic KTTP 2.0 (F et al., 2026) to score your program, then add two steps: send plain-language invites two weeks ahead and hold a 15-minute prep call so parents know why their voice counts. Small outreach lifts parent attendance and keeps plans alive.
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02At a glance
03Original 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.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103872