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This chapter draws upon research conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on parents' perspectives of transition in early childhood intervention (ECI) for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The research followed a sequential exploratory mixed methods design to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 11 parents of children with different types of SEND, followed by a cross-sectional survey administered to (183) parents. Thematic analysis of interviews revealed that parents perceive the transition process as: “smooth,” “stressful,” and “blurring.” Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis tests of the parents' responses to the cross-sectional survey showed significant differences among parents' perspectives toward transition with respect to parents' gender, education, type of child with SEND, and educational setting; no significant differences were found regarding children's gender. Implications for practice regarding transition from ECI to inclusive education are addressed through a transition framework introduced at the end of this chapter.

This purpose of this paper is to examine the organization of the UAE educational system, its components, their goals, and finally their effectiveness.

Three elements of the UAE education system were examined: the development; delivery; and evaluation and feedback.

On analysis, it was found that there is poor alignment among what the system was developed for, how it was delivered, and what was evaluated. In order to align this system significant efforts are needed to ensure that extensive documentation in terms of teachers' guides, training sessions for teachers and supervisors, and relevant evaluation instruments must be designed with systems thinking as the guide.

An orientation to goals rather than textbooks, to systems thinking, and to the vision developed for the system (and perhaps some form of strategic feedback to the respective committees established in the structural framework delineated by the ministry) might be worth consideration to erase the misalignment indicated by this research.

This paper will be of interest to those involved in education and in particular, those involved in the education system within the UAE.