Transitional Services Provided for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia: A Mixed-Methods Study of the Perspective of Their Teachers

This study explored transitional services for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia from teachers’ perspectives, focusing on service planning, implementation barriers, influential professional experiences, and differences across school stages. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. The quantitative sample included 256 teachers (64 male, 192 female): 152 primary, 80 middle, and 24 secondary teachers. Participants completed a researcher-developed questionnaire (2026). The qualitative sample comprised nine teachers purposively selected from survey respondents across five Saudi cities and interviewed remotely using semi-structured interviews until theoretical saturation was reached. Results indicated that planning and preparation of transitional services were perceived “to some extent” (M = 3.10, SD = 0.51), while barriers reached the “agree” level (M = 4.13, SD = 0.72). Major barriers were the absence of binding policies and regulations (89.36%), insufficient administrative and financial resources (87.79%), and weak family–school–agency collaboration (84.57%). The study recommends adopting a binding national framework defining transition-team responsibilities, implementation stages, and evaluation indicators.