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Supporting social, emotional and mental health and well-being: Roles of speech-language pathologists
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.auJCPSLP
Volume 19, Number 3 2017
137
KEYWORDS
PARENTS
SPECIAL NEEDS
SUPPORT
TRANSITION TO
SCHOOL
THIS ARTICLE
HAS BEEN
PEER-
REVIEWED
David Trembath
(top) and
Elizabeth Starr
& Darling, 2007). Accordingly, there is a well-established
need for community relevant strategies aimed at supporting
parents and their children during the transition to school.
Common approaches to
supporting transition
One common approach to supporting parents during the
transition is to provide them with information, strategies,
and advice aimed at facilitating the process. Fortunately,
speech pathologists, other allied health professionals, and
educators now have access to a range of resources that
are fit for this purpose. In Australia, for example, such
resources are commonly provided by education
departments (e.g., Victoria State Government, n.d.),
industry bodies, (e.g., Early Childhood Intervention
Australia, n.d.), and service providers (e.g., Autism
Spectrum Australia, 2013). An alternative approach to
supporting transition is to focus on helping children develop
school readiness skills, many of which fall squarely in the
scope of speech pathology practice, including the ability to
work independently and follow directions (Rule, Fiechtl, &
Innocenti, 1990), self-regulation skills (McIntyre, Blacher, &
Baker, 2006), communication, and social interaction skills
(Janus, Lefort, Cameron, & Kopechanski, 2007). However,
there is now a broad body of research literature
demonstrating that approaches to supporting children and
families must be multifaceted (e.g., information and advice
for parents, communication with new teachers, developing
children’s school readiness skills), involve all relevant
stakeholders, and be provided over a substantial time
period leading into, during, and following the children’s
commencement at school.
Following a recent review of the research literature, Marsh
and Eapan (2017), recommended a set of principles that
should inform efforts to support children and parents during
the transition. The focus of the review was on children
on the autism spectrum, but the recommendations were
drawn from the broader literature and are likely relevant to
children with a range of learning profiles and needs. The
authors recommended that transition programs include
(a) active, early, and ongoing collaboration between a
range of stakeholders; (b) establishment of positive and
respectful relationships between the children, parents,
and educators; (c) actively preparing the child for the
transition; (d) assessment of children’s school readiness;
(e) implementation and regular evaluation of individualised
transition plans; (f) developing skills in the child that
facilitate learning; and (g) utilisation of dedicated funding
Transition to school is often a stressful event
for families of children with social-
communication and learning disabilities. The
aim of this study was to the explore the views
and experiences of parents whose children
attended an innovative pre-prep program,
with the view to identifying strategies that
may support other children, parents, and
teachers during the transition to school. We
conducted a series of 3 focus groups with
total of 10 parents at the commencement and
completion of the pre-prep program. Focus
groups were audio-recorded and transcribed
and analysed using thematic analysis. Three
themes –
It’s the foundation, Seems grown
up,
and
Eased us and the kids into school
–
emerged to account for the participants’
views and experiences, indicating positive
outcomes arose from the multifaceted
approach that included information and
support for parents, along with a strong focus
on developing children’s school readiness
skills.
T
he transition of children to school can be a stressful
event for any family (Early, Pianta, Taylor, & Cox,
2001; Forest, Horner, Lewis-Palmer, & Todd, 2004;
La Paro, Kraft-Sayre, & Pianta, 2003). However, for
families of children with special needs (including social-
communication and learning disabilities) the process can
be particularly difficult and requires a well-thought-out and
executed plan (Chadwick & Kemp, 2000). The stressors for
caregivers (herein referred to as parents but acknowledging
the range of people who may take on this role) and children
may include (a) the many “unknowns” such as the nature of
the physical environment, the attitudes of school personnel
towards the child, and the support that will be provided; (b)
navigating the shift from one education sector to another
including any differences in funding arrangements and
support; (c) communicating with a new set of educators,
professionals, and multidisciplinary teams (Osborne,
McHugh, Saunders, & Reed, 2008); (d) differences in
goal-setting practices, curriculum, and teaching strategies;
and (e) the feeling of personal responsibility to ensure an
appropriate educational program for their children (Seligman
Supporting children with social-
communication and learning
disabilities and their parents
during the transition to school
David Trembath and Elizabeth Starr