A Parent Survey Approach to Evaluate Public School Education of Children with Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder Following Center-Based Behavioral Treatment

Abstract

Abstract We conducted a survey of children with autism/pervasive developmental disorder who entered public school education settings following intensive behavioral treatment in a private center-based program. The survey included 27 children that had been discharged from the center to public schools over a nine-year period. Based on parent report, the survey revealed that 92.5% of children were attending public schools and that 96.0% of them were participating in inclusive education (instruction with typically developing peers). Children who were involved in inclusive classrooms required the support of an individual instructor from 0-100% of the time. The amount of time spent in inclusive education and the percent of individual support was unrelated to the years since discharge from the center-based program. Parents were uniformly satisfied with the services their children were receiving in the public schools independent of inclusion status or the provision of individual support. These findings illustrate the use of survey methods as one component of program evaluation for children with autism/pervasive developmental disorder.