Building Bridges! Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Transition from Kindergarten to School – A Scoping Review

Sobh Chahboun,1 Kristine Tyldum Lefstad,1,2 Marit Pettersen,1 Ingvild Åmot,1 S’lungile Thwala3 1Department of Pedagogy, Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education/QMUC, Trondheim, Norway; 2Department of Health and education, Trøndelag Høyere Yrkesfagskole/THYF, Higher Vocational Education, Stjørdal, Norway; 3Faculty of Education, University of Eswatini, Matsapha, EswatiniCorrespondence: Sobh Chahboun, Department of Pedagogy, Queen Maud University College, Thrond Nergaards veg 7, Trondheim, 7044, Norway, Tel +4747726777, Email [email protected]: The goal of this study was to map the research on the transition from kindergarten to school for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Further, the goal was to identify the elements influencing the transition process as well as the variables that would promote a smooth and positive transition experience for the children in question. The study also aimed to identify knowledge gaps on the subject and the current practice in the field.Methods: The study is a scoping review that includes peer reviewed articles from the databases ERIC, Google scholar, PsycINFO and Web of Science and the search was restricted to articles in English from 2019 to 2024. The search terms used were autism spectrum disorder, autism, transition, preschool, ECEC, inclusion, education intervention, early childhood, early education and kindergarten. After identifying and screening current articles from the databases, the articles were ascertained for relevance in three stages. In phase one, the title was considered. Phase two consisted of reviewing the abstract, and the final stage was to review the full text. At each stage, articles that did not prove relevant to the goal of the study were excluded. This left us with thirteen articles for inclusion in this article.Results: In the selected articles the following elements are necessary for children with autism to have a positive transition from kindergarten to school: 1) School readiness skills and school inclusiveness, 2) Comparable educational opportunities and psychological support, 3) Collaboration and professional competence, 4) A balance to ensure a better transition, and 5) Inclusion and support and 6) Children’s perspectives.Conclusion: The research gaps identified were: 1) that few studies take the child’s perspective into account and 2) that there is an overemphasis on subjective experiences of effectiveness, and a lack of focus on measurable effects within studies on transition and inclusive education.Keywords: transition, autism, kindergarten, school, transition strategies