Quality of Educational Programs for Elementary School-Age Students With Autism

Area of Science:

• Special Education
• Developmental Psychology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

• Quality of educational programs significantly impacts outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Previous assessments indicate variability in the quality of ASD educational services.
• Understanding current program quality is crucial for targeted improvements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the quality of educational programs for school-aged children with autism in the United States.
• To identify specific areas of strength and weakness in existing autism educational environments.
• To compare quality ratings between inclusive and special education programs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Autism Program Environment Quality Rating Systems-Preschool/Elementary (APERS-PE) tool.
• Assessed 60 elementary schools serving children with autism.
• Analyzed domain-specific ratings for structural and process quality.

Main Results:

• Mean total quality scores were around the midpoint, suggesting adequate but not high-quality programs.
• Structural quality domains consistently scored above average.
• Process quality domains consistently scored below average.
• No significant differences in overall quality were found between inclusive and special education programs.

Conclusions:

• Current educational programs for school-aged children with autism in the U.S. offer adequate, but not optimal, quality.
• There is a notable disparity between structural and process quality in these programs.
• Interventions should focus on enhancing process quality to improve educational experiences for children with autism.