Dual Identification: Trajectories to English Proficiency for English Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Area of Science:

• Education
• Special Education
• Linguistics

Background:

• Growing population of English Learners (EL) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in schools.
• Limited research on students dually identified as EL and eligible for autism services.
• Need to understand educational trajectories for this specific student group.

Purpose of the Study:

• Examine sociodemographic characteristics of dually identified students.
• Analyze time to English Language Proficient (ELP) status using survival analysis.
• Identify predictors of English fluency via logistic regression.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of dually identified students (N=849) in a large urban school district (2011-2019).
• Survival analysis to determine time to English proficiency.
• Logistic regression to identify predictors of fluency.

Main Results:

• Students in segregated settings (N=372) achieved English proficiency at lower rates and older ages compared to those in general education (N=477).
• Segregated placement was a significant predictor of lower likelihood for achieving English Language Proficient classification.
• Data illustrates the time to English proficiency for dually identified students.

Conclusions:

• Educational placement significantly impacts the achievement of English proficiency for dually identified students.
• Segregated special education classrooms hinder English language acquisition.
• Findings highlight potential disparities in educational opportunities for these students.