Working Together: Communication Between Stakeholders During the Transition from Early Intervention to School for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Abstract

The transition to school can be a complicated process for families of children with exceptionalities (Janus, Lefort, Cameron, & Kopechanski, 2007). Little is known about the transition to school specifically for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH). The aim of this study was to examine the communication that occurred among early intervention (EI) providers, parents, and teachers before and during the child’s first year of kindergarten. Thematic analysis was used to analyze six sets of parent interviews, preand post-transition, three interviews with EI providers, and three interviews with teachers of the deaf. Participants from each group described factors that facilitated or hindered the transition to school for D/HH children. Findings were interpreted through the framework of ecological systems theory, which indicate that high-intensity transition support and fluid communication facilitated the transition and fostered positive relationships among those involved in the child’s transition to school. ISSN 1918-5227 Pages 5471 This study was supported in part through funding from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority—Child and Youth Mental Health Services to Janet Jamieson. Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/eei Part of the Accessibility Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Elementary Education Commons, and the Special Education and Teaching Commons Recommended Citation Curle, D., Jamieson, J., Poon, B. T., Buchanan, M., Norman, N., & Zaidman-Zait, A. (2017) Working Together: Communication Between Stakeholders During the Transition from Early Intervention to School for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Exceptionality Education International, 27, 54-71. Retrieved from https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/eei/vol27/iss2/3 This Article Open Access after 1 year is brought to you by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Exceptionality Education International by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact jspecht@uwo.ca. Working Together: Communication Between Stakeholders During the Transition from Early Intervention to School for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Cover Page Footnote This study was supported in part through funding from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority—Child and Youth Mental Health Services to Janet Jamieson. Authors Deirdre Curle, Janet Jamieson, Brenda T. Poon, Marla Buchanan, Nancy Norman, and Anat Zaidman-Zait This article open access after 1 year is available in Exceptionality Education International: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/eei/ vol27/iss2/3 Exceptionality Education International 2017, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 54–71 ISSN 1918-5227 54 Working Together: Communication Between Stakeholders During the Transition from Early Intervention to School for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Deirdre Curle Washington State Center for Childhood Deafness & Hearing Loss Janet Jamieson, Brenda T. Poon, & Marla Buchanan The University of British Columbia Nancy Norman The University of the Fraser Valley & Kwantlen Polytechnic University Anat Zaidman-Zait Tel Aviv University