High School Math and Science Preparation and Postsecondary STEM Participation for Students With an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely than other disability groups and the general population to gravitate toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. However, the field knows little about which factors influence the STEM pipeline between high school and postsecondary STEM major. This study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, a nationally representative sample of students with an ASD in special education in the United States. Findings suggest that students with an ASD who took more classes in advanced math in a general education setting were more likely to declare a STEM major after controlling for background characteristics and previous achievement level. Educational policy implications are discussed.

Secondary Transition Predictors of Postschool Success: An Update to the Research Base

“…In addition, this review identified three new predictors (i.e., psychological empowerment, selfrealization, technology skills) of positive postschool outcomes for youth with disabilities. Our results also found that 11 of the 22 studies focused on one specific disability group, including deaf/blindness (Cmar, 2015); (b) deaf/ hard of hearing (Newman, Marschark, et al, 2016); (c) visual impairments (Connors et al, 2014;Zhou et al, 2013); (d) intellectual disability (Park & Bouck, 2018;Simonsen & Neubert, 2013); (e) specific learning disabilities ; and (f) autism spectrum disorder (Shattuck et al, 2012;Wei et al, 2015Wei et al, , 2016Wei et al, , 2017.…”

A review of research on science instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder

“…Although 14% of the U.S. population are identified with a disability (U.S. Department of Education, ), only 5%–6% are included as part of the STEM workforce (Bargerhuff, ; Leddy, ). This is interesting as research has clearly established participation in advanced math and science courses during high school as a strong predictor of selecting a postsecondary STEM major (Wang, Fredricks, Ye, Hofkens, & Linn, ); however, only 32% of individuals with ASD were enrolled in college (Wei, Yu, Shattuck, & Blackorby, ). Students with ASD enrolled in college who had taken advance math courses in inclusive settings during high school were twice as likely to enroll in STEM majors, signifying further the importance of breaking down barriers to access of earlier STEM courses for students with ASD (Wei et al, ).…”

“…This is interesting as research has clearly established participation in advanced math and science courses during high school as a strong predictor of selecting a postsecondary STEM major (Wang, Fredricks, Ye, Hofkens, & Linn, ); however, only 32% of individuals with ASD were enrolled in college (Wei, Yu, Shattuck, & Blackorby, ). Students with ASD enrolled in college who had taken advance math courses in inclusive settings during high school were twice as likely to enroll in STEM majors, signifying further the importance of breaking down barriers to access of earlier STEM courses for students with ASD (Wei et al, ). While this information is encouraging, students with disabilities, including those with ASD, continue to score significantly lower than peers without disabilities on science achievement outcomes.…”

Obstacles to Success of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in General Education Settings

“…The practical implications of these results are that teachers of students with ASD may need to learn how to identify and effectively address challenges of students with ASD at different developmental levels and across subject content areas (McKenney et al, 2016;Wei, Yu, Shattuck, & Blackorby, 2017). Gaining a solid understanding of student needs would help teachers determine if environmental variables and/or effective interventions at different levels could be implemented to help students as they progress through school.…”

“…Learning is a multifaceted process, and academic success depends on solid communication and social interaction skills in all settings (Wei, Yu, Shattuck, & Blackorby, 2017). Communication literacy requires proficient reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing skills.…”