Influences of student race/ethnicity and gender on autism special education classification considerations

Abstract

Although the prevalence of autism continues to rise, identification disparities across race/ethnicity and gender persist in schools. The under- and overidentification of specific populations receiving special education services under the classification of autism contribute to misappropriation or lack of intervention services for students. Practicing school psychologists ( N = 229) reviewed one of eight vignettes depicting a student displaying possible autism symptoms that varied only by student race/ethnicity and gender. Afterward, they rated the likelihood that they would consider the classification of autism and their confidence in that likelihood rating. School psychologists were more likely to consider an autism classification for Asian female students than Latinx female students. Confidence in likelihood ratings was higher for Asian students than Black students. School psychologists endorsed specific attention to student problem behaviors with minimal notice of possible contributing cultural and linguistic factors. The results highlight that potential implicit biases and lack of cultural consideration play a role in the identification of autism in schools, which may contribute to the nationally documented race/ethnicity and gender identification disparities. Lay Abstract Autism prevalence has continued to rise in recent years. However, females and children from Black, Latinx, and Asian backgrounds are often misidentified or identified less often than White males. These identification disparities make it difficult for children to receive appropriate special education and school intervention services. In this study, school psychologists read a vignette featuring a student with possible autism symptoms. The vignette varied by student race/ethnicity and gender. Afterward, participants rated the likelihood that they would classify the student with autism and their confidence in this rating. Student race/ethnicity and gender influenced both classification likelihood and confidence. These results suggest that school psychologists are influenced by implicit bias and do not fully consider cultural factors in school autism evaluations. This may contribute to identification disparities.

Potential for England’s statutory school entry assessment to identify special educational needs and reveal structural inequalities: a population-based study

“…White British children who were not ‘school ready’ had higher odds of being identified as having SEN relative to ethnic minority peers who were not ‘school ready’. This is in line with previous research which has found ethnic biases in smaller samples 20–22. More broadly, this adds to a growing body of literature indicating that individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds are identified later than their ethnic majority counterparts in conditions as diverse as autism,28 tuberculosis29 and cancer 30.…”

“…19 Conversely, research has shown that children from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to have SEN, but this may reflect structural inequalities in identification. [20][21][22] These structural inequalities may arise due to variation in views relating to child development between cultures 23 or knowledge of and access to services and support within ethnic minority families. 20 To date, no existing research has investigated whether such ethnic differences vary as a function of school readiness.…”

“…This may be influenced by features more common in communities with lower socioeconomic position such as increased parental ill-health and drug/alcohol dependency 19. Conversely, research has shown that children from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to have SEN, but this may reflect structural inequalities in identification 20–22. These structural inequalities may arise due to variation in views relating to child development between cultures23 or knowledge of and access to services and support within ethnic minority families 20.…”

Effect of Probiotics on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: a Meta-Analysis

“…Thirdly, both complex and single probiotics were used in the studies we included, some probiotics consist of a variety of bene cial bacteria, while others have only a single strain, such as PS128. Fourthly, all RCTs were published in different countries, the researches were scattered in Asia, Europe and the United States, race and ethnicity maybe important in uencing factors of autism (34). Higher quality and larger sample size clinical studies are needed for further study.…”

Adaptation and validation of the social skills scale for intercultural primary school pupils

“…Ultimately, the results obtained showed a good fit and reliability, which positions it as an excellent instrument for future researchers and professionals in the field of education to assess the social skills of young people in primary education in diverse contexts. In today's social context, having good social skills is especially necessary (Golson et al, 2022). Teaching schools should encourage the use and practice of social skills, both in terms of teaching practices and mutual social interactions among prospective teachers (Pan and Hung, 2022).…”