Quality of high school programs for students with autism spectrum disorder.
Bonnie R Kraemer, Samuel L Odom, Brianne Tomaszewski and 6 others
PMID 31747775WHAT IT FOUND
High school programs for students with autism generally provide safe environments and positive climates, but fall short on the skills needed for adult life.
Assessment, communication, social competence, independence, and transition planning rated below acceptable quality, particularly for diploma-bound students.
Key findings
01Programs scored above the acceptable quality threshold for environment, family participation, and climate, but below it for assessment, communication, social competence, independence, functional behavior, and transition.
02Transition programming quality was significantly lower for diploma-bound students than for those in modified programs, though both groups fell below the acceptable quality rating.
03Suburban schools had significantly higher overall program quality than city schools, while rural and city schools performed similarly.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Data were collected only during the first semester of the academic year, so program quality may change over time. Inter-rater agreement at the item level was lower than ideal for observational measures, though summary scores remained consistent. Schools were a sample of convenience and not randomly selected from across the United States. Findings are specific to the US education system and may not apply to other countries without cultural adaptation.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the higher overall quality ratings as evidence that these schools are effectively preparing students for adulthood. The domains most critical for post-school success, including transition, communication, and independence, were all rated below the minimally acceptable threshold.