Quality of High School Programs for Students with ASD in the United States

The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of high school programs for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the United States.  The Autism Program Quality Rating Scale (APERS) was used to rate quality in 56 high schools located in three geographic locations (CA, NC, WI) in the US.  Separate ratings were given for inclusive and modified programs.  Measures of internal consistence reveal high reliability of the instrument.  The general ratings revealed moderate to low levels of general quality with variation across domains.  The highest rated domains were for physical environment, climate, and families.  The domains with the lowest ratings occurring for interventions and instruction focusing on skills (social, communication, functional behavior) and transition.

Citation: 

Odom, S. L., Hume, K., Dykstra Steinbrenner, J., Smith, L., Hall, L., Kraemer, B. (March, 2016). Quality of high school programs for students with ASD in the United States. Poster presentation at the Gatlinburg Conference, San Diego, CA.

Download: