Asian Children with Autism in US Schools: Potential Drivers of Unexpected Disproportionality

Abstract

Racial and ethnic disparities in both the identification and treatment in special education in the US has been well-documented with Black and Hispanic students being at significantly greater risk for school-based identification of disabilities, in general, and certain disability types in particular, as compared to White counterparts. By contrast, Asian students are much less likely than Whites to be identified as having disabilities in all categories except one: autism. There is a lack of research into the reasons for the unexpectedly high rates of schoolbased autism identification of Asian students. An examination of data collected during the evaluations of three Indian children suggested at least two drivers. Examples of how these potential drivers manifested in these cases and implications for educators are provided.