2016 Gatlinburg Conference Poster
PS-39
Title: Quality of High School Programs for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States
Authors: Samuel L. Odom, Kara Hume, Laura Hall, Bonnie Kraemer, Leann Smith
Introduction: As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased markedly over the last 20 years, the number of
students receiving interventions and special education services in high schools in the United States has also increased. To date,
there has been no published information about the quality of such programs for students with ASD. The quality of program
environments is essential because it affects the availability of learning opportunities for meeting students' individualized needs.
The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of high school programs for meeting the needs of students with ASD.
Methods: This study took place in 30 high schools located in San Diego, central Wisconsin, and central North Carolina. In this
multi-cohort study, 295 high school students with ASD, their teachers and related service staff, and their families participated.
All high schools were public and provided services for students across the autism and intellectual ability spectrum. Authors
assessed the quality of the educational programs using the Autism Program Environments Rating Scale (APERS). The 66-item,
five-point Likert rating scale is organized into ten subscales (Environment, Climate, Assessment, Instruction, Communication,
Social, Independence, Functional/Problem Behavior, Family, and Teaming), one composite score for transition, and also
generates a total score. Raters conduct multi-day observations in high school programs, interview key staff members, and review
records. They used this information to generate a rating for each school.
Results: The mean item ratings for the APERS collected in the 30 high schools was the primary metric for this study. With this
assessment, mean scores of 3.0 are considered mediocre but have some of the features of a high quality high school
environment or subdomain. Average item ratings below 3.0 indicate that programs are missing some qualitatively important
features. Scores above 3.0 indicate that programs have features that are considered high quality. The results of the data from
our first cohort will appear in a histogram figure ( it would not load on this proposal program.. As a group, the strongest features
of high school programs were in the physical environment of classrooms and schools, the social climate of programs, and the
interactions with parents (ratings of 4.0, 4.14.4.3, respectively). Teaming, that is collaboration among service provider working in
the high school, was slightly above the 3.0 level (3.31). Although the general subdomain of instruction was also slightly above
the 3.0 level (3.18), the features of high school that focus on the areas of specific importance for students with ASD (assessment,
social, communication, independence, challenging behavior) were all below 3.0. Also, the transition subdomain, a critically
important area for students with ASD, had the lowest score of all subdomains (2.65).
Discussion: These results suggest that high schools in the US are providing some positive features, but the features of high
school that focus on the educational needs that are most important (social competence, communication, independence, and
behavior) are lagging behind. Importantly, they document concern about the quality of transition features of high school
programs. In total, findings suggest the need for more focused comprehensive intervention programs for students with ASD at
the high school level.
Note to reviewers: Although we feel that these data "stand on their own," by the time of the Gatlinburg conference, we will
have APERS data for our second cohort, which we will merge with these data to have a total school "n" of 60.