Parents’ Experiences Transitioning From Early Intervention Services to School Services

Abstract

Early intervention (EI) provides requisite support to address the developmental needs of infants and toddlers and assists families in understanding how to meet their child’s needs. However, at age 3, those services are no longer offered and families are required to transition to school services. To date, there are limited studies about families’ perceptions of their child transitioning from EI to school services. To address this gap in the literature, a qualitative study, with semi-structured interviews, was conducted with 14 parents. The study examined the transition process from EI to school services. The findings suggest that parents had positive experiences in EI, particularly with the EI team. Notably, participants expressed feeling elevated levels of stress during the transition from EI services to school services and relied on EI and school professionals to secure services with minimal input in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Implications for research and practice are discussed.