This chapter reviews educational strategies and legal policies impacting effective schooling for children, youth, and young adults. Emphasis is on the classroom manifestation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and how general education teachers can effectively facilitate learning. Within early school years, the importance of positive…

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) III, the purpose of this commentary is to describe school-based and school-relevant interventions and instructional approaches for children and youth with autism that have been developed and employed during that time period. The commentary begins with a brief…

The transition of a student out of high school and into the adult world can be a stressful time for many families of high school students. This major life transition can be particularly challenging for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)and their families. In this article, we first discuss the roles of families in the transition process…

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 influenced the STEM pipeline between high school and…

Lakeview High School is a medium sized high school in a rural farming community. The staff at Lakeview meets at the beginning of each school year to discuss building-level professional development plans. This year, Lakeview's special education team has requested to focus its professional development time on improving special education services for…

This study used propensity score techniques to assess the relationship between transition planning participation and goal-setting and college enrollment among youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Using data from waves 1 through 5 of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, this study found that 2- or 4-year college enrollment rates…

Relatively little is known about the pathways youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) take in the transition to adulthood in terms of employment and postsecondary education. Applying life course sequence analysis to a nationally representative sample of youth with ASDs (n = 120), this study clustered various longitudinal sequences into three…

The number of youth on the autism spectrum approaching young adulthood and attending college is growing. Very little is known about the subjective experience of these college students. Disability identification and self-efficacy are two subjective factors that are critical for the developmental and logistical tasks associated with emerging…

Post-school outcomes for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are exceedingly poor. The convergence of adolescence as a development period, the expression of ASD during adolescence, and the complicated logistic nature of high schools create a perfect storm of complexity that may pose challenges and establish barriers to…

Little research has examined the popular belief that individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely than the general population to gravitate toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, a nationally representative sample of…

Equipping students with ASD for a good life after high school is the overarching goal of secondary special education services and supports. In this paper, we review important elements of effective transition education for adolescents with ASD. First,we review recent findings related to the post-school employment, education, and independent living…

This study used propensity score techniques on data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 to assess the causal relationship between speech and behavior-based support services and rates of social communication among high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Findings indicate that receptive language problems were…

Little research has examined the popular belief that individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely than the general population to gravitate toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, a nationally representative sample of…

Using data from waves 1 through 5 of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, this study used propensity score techniques to assess the relationships between general education inclusion and college enrollment rates among youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Data show that 2- or 4-year college enrollment rates were significantly higher…

Little is known about postsecondary pathways and persistence among college students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, 2001-2009, a nationally representative sample of students in special education with an ASD who progressed from high school to postsecondary…