Transition to Adulthood as a Joint Parent-Youth Project for Young Persons With Intellectual and Developmental...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Disability Studies
• Family Studies

Background:

• Transition to adulthood is a critical period for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
• Joint goal construction between young adults with IDD and their parents is vital for successful transitions.
• Understanding the dynamics of these collaborative goal-setting processes is essential for effective support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their parents jointly create, express, and pursue goals for the young adults' transition to adulthood.
• To identify the factors that facilitate or hinder the formulation and pursuit of these joint goals.

Main Methods:

• Employed the action-project method with eight dyads (N=16) of young adults with IDD and their parents in Western Canada.
• Collected and analyzed conversation and video recall data to understand joint project dynamics.
• Grouped cases based on whether goal-directed projects foregrounded relationship, planning, or both.

Main Results:

• Joint projects focused on relationship (4 dyads), planning (3 dyads), or both (1 dyad).
• Internal dyadic resources (e.g., emotional support) and external resources positively influenced project formulation and pursuit.
• Insufficient external supports and limited parental knowledge regarding IDD impeded joint project development.

Conclusions:

• Successful transition goal-setting for young adults with IDD relies on effective dyadic collaboration.
• Both internal and external resources are critical for facilitating joint projects.
• Addressing gaps in external support and enhancing parental knowledge about IDD are key to improving transition outcomes.