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Thursday, February 4, 2016

Race, Ethnicity, and Autism

In The Politics of Autism, I write about special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

 The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education, has just released the  37th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2015.

One table presents the percentage of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, within racial/ethnic groups, by disability category: Fall 2013.  The drafters of the reported calculated the percentage by dividing the number of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, in the racial/ethnic group and disability category by the total number of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, in the racial/ethnic group and all disability categories, then multiplying the result by 100.

The autism results are worth a close look:

Asian .........................................19.2
White...........................................9.4
Two or more races.........................9.3
Hispanic/Latino...........................6.4
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Island.....6.2
Black/African American................6.0
American Indian/Alaska Native.....4.7