Brief Report: Classifying Rates of Students with Autism and Intellectual Disability in North Carolina: Roles of Race and Economic Disadvantage.

Abstract

We examined special education classifications among students aged 3-21 in North Carolina public schools, highlighting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). Results revealed variability by county in ASD and ID prevalence, and in county-level ratios of ID vs. ASD classifications. Sociodemographic characteristics predicted proportion of ASD or ID within a county; correlations showed an association between race and ID, but not ASD. County's median household income predicted proportion of students classified as ASD and ID (opposite directions), controlling for number of students and gender. Variability was unlikely related to biological incidence, and more likely related to district/school practices, or differences in resources. Disparities warrant further examination to ensure that North Carolina's youth with disabilities access necessary, appropriate resources.

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Description

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Citation

Published Version (Please cite this version)

10.1007/s10803-020-04527-y

Publication Info

Howard, Jill, J Nathan Copeland, Elizabeth J Gifford, Jennifer Lawson, Yu Bai, Nicole Heilbron and Gary Maslow (2020). Brief Report: Classifying Rates of Students with Autism and Intellectual Disability in North Carolina: Roles of Race and Economic Disadvantage. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 10.1007/s10803-020-04527-y Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/20752.

This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.

Scholars@Duke

Howard

Jill E. Howard

Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and treatment, infant-toddler risk and diagnosis, trajectories of early development

Copeland

J. Nathan Copeland

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Gifford

Elizabeth Joanne Gifford

Research Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy

Beth Gifford is a research professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, a core faculty member of the Center for Child and Family Policy and the Margolis Center for Health Policy. She leads a multidisciplinary research team that examines the health and social services engagement of children and families. Motivating her research is the need to understand how social policies and practices can better support children and families. Her work spans many public institutions including education, social services, criminal justice, and health care systems. She is the Director of the Health Policy Certificate Program and the Health Policy and Innovation Theme Leader for Bass Connections.

Bai

Yu Bai

Statistician III
Heilbron

Nicole Heilbron

Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Child clinical psychology, child and adolescent trauma and maltreatment, nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicide-related thoughts and behaviors, mood and anxiety disorders, OCD

Maslow

Gary Ross Maslow

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Adaptation to chronic illness, transition to adulthood for youth with chronic illness, positive youth development, quality of life.


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