The who, how and what of educational outcome research for autistic students published in the last decade: A systematic quantitative literature review.

Abstract

Background: Educational outcome research for autistic school students has expanded rapidly over the past decade, reporting variable results. This variability may be partially due to differences in participants and methods.

Aims: This review examines a decade of autism-focused quantitative research and identifies who and what educational outcome research has reported on and how outcomes were measured.

Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, ERIC, Scopus, PsycINFO and PubMed were searched with predefined keywords and updated in October 2023. Utilizing systematic quantitative literature review methodology, 112 journal articles, theses and reports published 2012-2023, which quantitatively investigate academic, disciplinary or school attendance outcomes in autistic students were included. Risk of bias was evaluated using the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology checklist. Descriptive statistics summarized the included research.

Results: Included items reported on 226,314 participants. Most (76%) examined academic achievement, with few examining disciplinary or attendance outcomes. Research was largely conducted in North America. Reporting of co-occurring conditions and diverse gender presentations was limited. Ethnicity and socio-economic status were rarely reported. Reporting quality of academic outcome items was higher than that of disciplinary or attendance items.

Conclusions: Findings highlight gaps in reporting in literature on educational outcomes of autistic school students, limiting the practical utility of findings for educators and researchers. Future research is required on disciplinary and attendance outcomes. Comprehensive reporting of demographic data, including co-occurring conditions, gender beyond the binary and race and ethnicity are required to support intersectional analysis and improve the utility of findings for autistic and autism communities.