title: Special Education Services Received by Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders from Preschool through High School.
abstract: Little is known about how special education services received by students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) differ by age, disability severity, and demographic characteristics. Using three national datasets, the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS), the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS), and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), this study examined the age trends in special education services received by students with ASDs from preschool through high school. Elementary-school students with ASDs had higher odds of receiving adaptive physical education, specialized computer software or hardware, and special transportation, but lower odds of receiving learning strategies/study skills support than their preschool peers. Secondary-school students had lower odds of receiving speech/language or occupational therapy and of having a behavior management program, but higher odds of receiving mental health or social work services than their elementary-school peers. Both disability severity and demographic characteristics were associated with differences in special education service receipt rates.
authors.affiliation: Center for Education and Human Services, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, BS169, Menlo Park, CA 94025-3493.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Center for Education and Human Services, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, BS 154, Menlo Park, CA 94025-3493.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Center for Technology in Learning, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, BN267, Menlo Park, CA 94025-3493.
authors.forename: Elizabeth R A
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Christiano
authors.affiliation: Washington University, Campus Box 1196, 1 Brookings Dr, St Louis, MO 63130.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shattuck
authors.affiliation: Center for Education and Human Services, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, BS162, Menlo Park, CA 94025-3493.
authors.forename: Jennifer W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Yu
keywords: age; autism; demographic characteristics; disability severity; service; special education