Transition to Kindergarten for Children on the Autism Spectrum: Perspectives of Korean-American Parents.

This study asked 212 Korean-American parents about their children's transition to kindergarten. Parents felt their child's ability to behave well at school and work with teachers was most important for success. They also thought building good relationships with teachers and supporting their child at home were key. Children who could communicate better and families with higher income and education had fewer problems during the transition.

This cross-sectional survey study examined Korean-American parents' perspectives on kindergarten transition for their autistic children (N=212). Parents identified behavioral readiness and teacher cooperation as the most critical school readiness skills for successful transition. Key parental supports included building positive teacher relationships and providing home support. Protective factors against transition challenges included children's vocal communication abilities, higher family income, and higher parental education levels.

Risk factors for increased challenges were first-generation immigrant status and restrictive school placements. The findings highlight the intersection of cultural, socioeconomic, and educational factors in autism transition experiences within Korean-American families.

Findings suggest transition planning should prioritize behavioral readiness skills and teacher collaboration training. Culturally responsive approaches are needed for immigrant families. Communication interventions may facilitate smoother transitions. Professionals should consider socioeconomic and placement factors when developing individualized transition support plans.

Single cultural group limits generalizability. Cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences. Self-report data may introduce bias. No comparison with other ethnic groups or typical development controls. Limited detail on measurement tools and methodology provided in abstract.

This study explores Korean-American parents' perceptions on successful transition to kindergarten (TTK) for their child on the autism spectrum. It further examines challenges experienced during this process, and possible predictors for their challenges. Findings from an online survey (N = 212) indicate that participants consider their child's behavioral readiness and cooperation with teachers as the most important school readiness skills for successful TTK. They further consider building positive relationships with teachers and providing support at home as the most important support parents could provide during this process.

Moreover, the child being a vocal communicator, higher income and parent's educational level were found to buffer against their reported challenges, while first-generation immigrant status and restrictive school placement were found to predict more challenges.