The Transition to Kindergarten for Children With and Without Disabilities

Abstract

The transition to kindergarten is regarded as a critical early childhood developmental milestone with important implications for later school outcomes. Despite its importance, few empirical studies examine kindergarten transition and fewer examine transition from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. The goal of the current study was to explore family and teacher concerns and involvement in transition practices among both children who were typically developing (TD; n = 52) and children with developmental delays and disabilities (DD; n = 52). Data collection involved parent, preschool teacher, and kindergarten teacher reports of concerns and involvement in transition and parent and preschool teacher reports of child behavior. Results showed that involvement of families and preschool teachers, but not kindergarten teachers, was higher for children with DD than children who were TD. In addition, preschool teachers, but not kindergarten teachers or families, were found to have higher involvement for children with poorer socio-behavioral competencies.