In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The U.S. Dept. of Education has released new data on students with disabilities (eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA). Section 618 of the IDEA requires that each state annually submit data about the infants and toddlers, birth through age 2, who receive early intervention services under Part C of IDEA, and children with disabilities, ages 3 through 21, who receive special education and related services under Part B of IDEA.
The new data show the number of IDEA-eligible children ages 3-21 in 2024 increased significantly from 2023, which also showed a 3% increase.
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The distribution across IDEA’s 13 disability categories of school age students (ages 5 (in kindergarten) to 21) in 2024 showed increases in the autism, multiple disabilities and developmental delay categories while other categories remained relatively unchanged. The increase in the autism category accounted for 40% of the total increase in 2024. Autism now accounts for nearly 15% of all school age students with disabilities.
