Variation in Educational Services Receipt Among US Children With Developmental Conditions

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Developmental Disabilities
• Educational Services

Background:

• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental delay (DD), and intellectual disability (ID) often face challenges accessing necessary community-based services.
• Understanding factors influencing educational services receipt is crucial for this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the link between ease of access to community services and educational services receipt.
• To explore how sociodemographic and need factors influence educational services receipt in children with ASD, DD, and/or ID.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (2009-2010) and the Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services (2011).
• Analyzed data from 3502 US children aged 6-17 with ASD, DD, and/or ID using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Nearly half (49.7%) of children with developmental conditions lacked easy access to services; 16.9% lacked an individualized education program (IEP).
• Children with easy access and an IEP were more likely to have their educational and developmental concerns addressed (aOR=2.77).
• Functional limitations, care coordination needs, condition type, and early intervention receipt were associated with educational services receipt.

Conclusions:

• Cross-systems initiatives to improve service access are vital for meeting the developmental needs of children with ASD, DD, and/or ID.
• Enhanced interprofessional collaboration can improve the quality of educational services and reduce disparities for children with developmental conditions.