Transition for Hispanic and Anglo Young Adults With Severe Intellectual Disability: Parent Perspectives Over Time

This study examined parents ’ perspectives, assessed longitudinally, on the period of transition for young adults with severe intellectual disability, across two time points. There were two groups of respondents, 152 primarily Anglo and 98 Hispanic parents. In-depth interviews on parent transition experiences and views indicated that respondents from both cultural groups would like their sons or daughters to be working in integrated environments, but realistically, see their young adults working in more restrictive settings. Hispanic families were significantly less likely to see the young adult moving out of the family home after finishing high-school, as compared to Anglo families. Hispanic families reported significantly more worries regarding their sons ’ or daughters ’ transition, less involvement in the transition planning process, and a greater desire to be more involved in transition. These findings were consistent across time. Implications for working with families during the transition period are discussed. The period of transition from high school to adulthood is a critical stage of development for adolescents and young adults with severe intellectual disability (ID) and their families. Parents of youth with severe disabilities worry both about their youth’s ability to function independently in the future (Cooney, 2002; Kim & Turnbull, 2004) and their need for ongoing care throughout adulthood (Jordan & Dunlap, 2001; Schneider, Wedgewood, Llewellyn, & McConnell, 2006). Although much research has been published in the past 15 years in the area of transition, less is known regarding parent perspectives and involvement in transition planning for those with severe ID. Although we know that families are critical to the well-being of young people with sever