News and Knowledge

This year, OAR received more applications for the Schwallie Family Scholarship Competition than ever before. Postsecondary education is becoming a common goal for students with autism and research is beginning to pay attention to this topic. A new research study, Predictive Factors of Participation in Postsecondary Education for High School Leavers with Autism, looks at the factors that predict participation in postsecondary education for students with autism. While past studies examined predictive factors for students with disabilities, no previous studies focused on autism.

The researchers found that only 43 percent of students with autism participate in postsecondary education, which encompassed community college, four-year college, and vocational or technical school. Parental expectations, annual household income, high school type, and student academic performance were the major predictive factors in whether students with autism continued schooling after high school. One drawback of the study is that it could not determine if placement of a student into a high school type not focused on postsecondary education was related to poor academic performance. They analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2.

The principal investigators were two OAR-related researchers, Hsu-Min Chang, PhD, a current OAR grant recipient and Luke Y. Tsai, MD, a member of OAR’s Scientific Council. The research team also included Ying Kuen Cheung, PhD, Linda Hickson, PhD, and Rui Xing.

The authors offer four suggestions based on their findings:

– A goal of postsecondary education should be included in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) when discussing transition.

– Students with autism should attend regular schools and be included in regular classes. These types of schools and classes are focused on postsecondary school attendance.

– Best practices and research-based interventions should be used to increase student academic performance.

– Schools should work with parents regarding postsecondary goals for their children. It is especially important to provide extra support and guidance for low-income families.

The authors point out that research or resources are not readily available for the 43 percent of high school students with autism who pursue postsecondary education. While not associated with this research study, OAR has recognized the need for resources and worked with GRASP to create Understanding Asperger Syndrome: A Professor’s Guide and continues to offer scholarships for people with autism in postsecondary education.

References

Chiang, H., Cheung, Y.K., Hickson, L., Xiang, R., Tsai, L.Y. (2012). Predictive Factors of Participation in Postsecondary Education for High School Leavers with Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 685-696.