Transition from school - challenges and barriers
Transitioning from school to post-school life and activities can be a challenging and stressful period, where young people seek to develop their own identity and identify opportunities for meaningful occupation, such as further study or employment (1). An increasing body of evidence indicates that young people with intellectual disability face additional barriers (2), including poor transition planning, and limited work experience opportunities(3). Despite the fact that transition policies and guidelines exist in several countries (4–6), these are not necessarily mandated, and may be difficult for young people and their cares to navigate (2, 3). Some studies have established links between poor post-school outcomes and ineffective collaboration between school systems and adult disability services as well as the paid and unpaid workforce (7). Other studies indicate young people with intellectual disability experience significant difficulty in negotiating the transition from a structured and supported school environment to contexts with ‘wide variation in adoption of adult roles related to employment, independent living, friendships, and day activities’ (8, p. 149). For many, the transition experience includes isolation, reduced participation in employment and tertiary education, and mental health difficulties (9). However, consolidated evidence on transition from school from the views and experiences of young people with intellectual disability themselves is wanting. Understanding what is important to them is important in terms of ensuring policies and practices are designed to adequately respond to their needs.
Views of parents on transition challenges
Much of the existing evidence on young people with intellectual disability and the transition from school prioritises the perspectives of parents (8, 10). The important role of parents, especially mothers, in the transition process is well established (8), and often outcomes are better for young people where their parents are actively involved in transition processes. Further evidence suggest that the post-school transition period can be highly stressful for families and carers of young people with intellectual disability (11). For example, Leonard et al (11) report parental concern about the ability of their adult child ‘to adapt and change to life in adulthood’ and worry about their child’s long-term future. These concerns are based on parents reporting ‘difficulty navigating services and programs’, challenges for young people around ‘building connectedness’, along with family experiences of strain on wellbeing and finances (p. 1377). These findings are important and complex and suggest that challenges and enablers during transitions are highly context dependent.
People with intellectual disability and participation in research
People with intellectual disability are often marginalised within research, both as researchers and participants (12), despite evidence suggesting that many people with disability want to participate in research that is important to their lives (13). Grounds for exclusion include a history of exploitation of people with intellectual disability in research (14), beliefs that people with intellectual disability lack insight into their lives and needs, and so are less capable than others of contributing knowledge to research. The notion of vulnerability of certain populations, including children and people with disability, also means that gate keeping is common when it comes to participation in research and in decision-making processes. For example, the role of institutional ethical review boards on protecting people from harm can have the effect of excluding those who may be seen as unable to provide informed consent (15). Including children and young people with disability in research can be difficult, time consuming, and resource intensive for researchers (12). Parents, carers or organizational gatekeepers may also limit, delay or refuse access to potential participants. Including people with intellectual disability in research and understanding their views is critical to creating policies and practices that are responsive and accessible for those that they are designed to support (14). During the past 20 years, there has been a gradual paradigm shift toward more inclusive and participatory approaches to researching with people with intellectual disability, and greater recognition of the risks of paternalistic treatment (16). There is now an expectation in critical disability studies, that people with disability have agency and choice to lead, co-design, and/or participate in research about their lives (17). An initial search suggests that a developing body of literature exists in which young people’s views and experiences on transition from school have been captured, but this has not been drawn together in a review to form a consolidated understanding of barriers and enablers to transitioning to meaningful life and occupations after school.
Scoping review
The aim of this scoping review is to identify, examine and synthesise the available evidence on the experiences of young people with intellectual disability transitioning from school to adult life from their own perspectives. The intent is to map out the existing literature on transitions from school from the past 20 years that reports the views and experiences of young people with intellectual disability. Further, the review aims to explore transition indicators and challenges that can better inform the development of future research, policies and transition guidelines framed by the voices of young people themselves, and to identify and analyse any knowledge gaps. It is the intention that this scoping review will inform the authors’ research program, which explores from the views of young people with intellectual disability and other key stakeholders, the processes of transition from high school to adult life in Australia since the introduction of the publicly funded National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in 2013.
The NDIS is a consumer focused model funded through taxes and health care levies to provide reasonable and necessary supports for Australians with permanent and significant disability (18). The model takes a lifetime view of participant needs, and seeks early investment and intervention for people in order to maximise independence and social and economic participation and reduce long-term support requirements. The premise for the NDIS viability is the estimated efficiency gains and cost savings in the disability support system and savings to other government services.
Enabling ‘people with disability to exercise choice and control in the pursuit of their goals and the planning and delivery of their supports’ are the fundamental principles of the NDIS (18), an approach that represents a break from previous welfare approaches (19). The aim of the scheme is to empower people with disability, ‘to use funds given to them to purchase services that reflect their lifestyles, goals and aspirations’ (19, np). This premise reflects the first principle of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability (UNCRPD), to which Australia became a signatory in 2008. The NDIS model is based on ‘models of consumerism where those who consume services also have choice, participation, and rights and redress’ (19). Thus, “choice,” including choice during education and times of transition, is intended to be a central feature of the lives of people with disability.
For the purpose of this scoping review, transition is understood to include the time before young people leave secondary school, where the focus is on preparing for life after school, as well as the time after school where young people may be trialling options and making decisions about further education, work (paid and unpaid), lifestyle and relationships. We aim to include studies that explore all of these phases of transition to explore the experiences young people with intellectual disability as they move from high school to adult life.
In preparing this protocol, a preliminary literature search was conducted using ERIC and Ovid MEDLINE, using the terms “transition” and “intellectual disability.” The pilot search was designed to broadly explore the types of evidence available, identify relevant key words and index terms and assess whether the research question had been previously addressed. While reviews exist on particular aspects or challenges of transition such as inter-agency collaboration (20), no current scoping or qualitative systematic reviews regarding the first-hand perspectives of young people with intellectual disability about their transition to life after school experiences were identified.