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SAATHI: A Pilot Transition Intervention for South Asian Parents of Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Sehrish Shikarpurya,Carly B. Gilson

2025 · DOI: 10.1352/1934-9556-63.4.271
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities · 0 Citations

TLDR

A 6-week, transition-focused online parent education intervention for 31 South Asian parents, South Asians Accessing and Advocating for Transition and Higher Education Inclusion (SAATHI) is developed and found that SAATHI increased parents' transition knowledge, advocacy skills, and coping skills.

Abstract

Racially minoritized parents often experience significant systemic barriers when accessing and navigating transition planning for their young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Despite the benefits of transition-focused parent interventions, only a few studies have developed or adapted these interventions for racially minoritized parents. We developed a 6-week, transition-focused online parent education intervention for 31 South Asian parents, South Asians Accessing and Advocating for Transition and Higher Education Inclusion (SAATHI). We found that SAATHI increased parents' transition knowledge, advocacy skills, and coping skills. Parents reported an increased sense of community and belonging after participating in SAATHI. Participants considered SAATHI feasible and beneficial. Implications of SAATHI for research, practice, and policy are also discussed.