Dive Brief:
- A newly signed federal law calls on federal agencies to update a report on the challenges faced by youth with autism when transitioning from school-based services into adulthood.
- The mandated report is required by the reauthorized Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act, or the Autism CARES Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in December after passage with bipartisan support in Congress. The law authorizes nearly $2 billion for autism research and training programs in fiscal years 2025-2029.
- About 13% of students with disabilities were identified with autism during the 2022-23 school year. That’s an increase of 8 percentage points from the 2008-09 school year, when about 5% of students participating in special education services were identified with autism, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Dive Insight:
The report on transition challenges between school-based services and adulthood must be submitted by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee within two years of the law’s enactment.
A 2017 report from HHS to Congress, for example, discussed the demographics of people transitioning from school-based services to adult opportunities, policies for transition services, proposals for best practices, inclusion efforts in K-12 programs, and approaches for coordination with youth and families for transition services.
Lawmakers and autism advocates praised the law's enactment. The measure extends the previous Autism CARES Act, which was set to expire Dec. 20, to Sept. 30, 2029.
"I know this legislation will help make a huge difference in the lives of the millions of Americans with autism by providing robust funding for durable remedies as well as effective early detection and intervention services to allow them the highest quality of life possible,” said the bill's author, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., in a statement.
Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization, called the Autism CARES Act "the most important driver of investments in autism research, data and training programs.” The group's statement said the act has "fueled the development of evidence-based, best practices benefiting autistic individuals and their families."
Robyn Linscott, director of family and education policy at the disability rights organization The Arc of the United States, said the law has had a wider impact beyond funding.
"From early intervention services that help young children grow and learn, to programs addressing the growing gaps in adult services, this legislation moves us closer to ensuring that all individuals have access to the care they need," Linscott said in a statement.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism is a developmental disability characterized by deficits in social interaction or communication and the presence of restricted interests or repetitive behaviors.
The CDC said 1 in 36 children aged 8 in 2020 had autism diagnoses. That’s an increase from 1 in 44 in 2018 and 1 in 150 in 2000. Autism is about 4 times more common in boys than girls, the CDC said.
Statistics from the Education Department show students with autism were less likely to have disciplinary removals compared to all students with disabilities in the 2021-22 school year. They were also less likely to drop out of school but slightly less likely to graduate with a regular high school diploma in comparison to all students with disabilities.
