Transition satisfaction and family well being among parents of young adults with severe intellectual disability.
Parents of young adults with severe ID feel better when services fix the environment, not the child.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Matson et al. (2009) asked parents how they felt about their son or daughter's move from school to adult services.
The young adults all had severe intellectual disability. Parents filled out a survey about the help they got and how their family was doing.
What they found
Parents were happier when the world around their child worked better, not when the child learned new skills.
Happier parents also said their whole family felt better.
How this fits with other research
Gauthier-Boudreault et al. (2017) later talked with similar parents and listed what was still missing: rides, clear info, and someone to listen. The 2009 numbers and the 2017 stories line up—both say fix the system, not the child.
Matson et al. (2009) systematic review looked at many studies and found the same thing: transport and friendly staff help adults join community life. The survey and the review share one year and one message—environment matters.
Laugeson et al. (2014) tried person-centred reviews to improve planning. Plans looked better, but families still lacked real choices. This seems to clash with Matson et al. (2009), yet it doesn’t: good plans only help if housing, transport, and funding are also fixed.
Why it matters
Stop asking parents to rate how well their child can dress or count. Ask if the bus shows up, if staff answer the phone, and if respite checks arrive on time. When you write transition goals, add objectives like “parent will receive weekly email updates” or “case manager will book transport training.” These small system fixes raise parent satisfaction faster than adding more skill drills.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The transition from high school to adulthood is a critical life stage that entails many changes, especially for youth with severe intellectual disability. The transition period may be especially stressful for the families of these young adults, who often experience a sudden change, or decrease, in services. However, little research has examined what constitutes a successful transition for the families of these individuals. The present study examined parent perspectives of transition for 128 young adults with severe intellectual disability, specifically, parent satisfaction with transition. Results suggested that transition satisfaction is related to young adult, family, and environmental characteristics, with environmental characteristics being the strongest predictors of transition satisfaction. Furthermore, transition satisfaction is related to multiple measures of family well being, indicating the tremendous need for considering the broader family system when planning for a young adult's transition. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2009 · doi:10.1352/2009.47:31-43