Prevention of absenteeism and school failure in students with ASD: Improving the transition from primary to secondary school

In primary school as well as in the transition to secondary school there must be an organised plan taking in consideration the different roles of the players. 

Cooperation and communication between family and school are important factors in facilitating a successful transition for the child with autism. 

Parental satisfaction with the school has been found to correlate with the willingness of the school to listen and its capacity to respond flexibly to a child’s needs (Whitaker, 2007).

However, parents reported significant problems in the school’s communication with them. They require an easier communication to feel that their concerns were being heard. Family believes that poor communication often stemmed from a lack of understanding autism.

Although previous research has demonstrated the importance of acknowledging parental expertise and incorporating parents’ own strategies into school-based practice (e.g. Feinberg & Vacca, 2000; Starrt al., 2001), there is evidence that parents are often left out of educational decision making (Turnbull et al., 2006) and there has been relatively little focus on parental experiences.

An ideal plan for the transition must be individually tailored for each student with the interaction among student, family and school.