A new study estimates that US colleges are serving far more students on the autism spectrum than previously understood, with between 135,400 and 286,254 currently enrolled, more than double earlier estimates of around 60,000. Published in the journal Autism in Adulthood and led by Michigan State University’s Brad Cox, the research argues that outdated data, some more than 25 years old, has left institutions undercounting and under-supporting autistic students. Campus programs like the University of Missouri-St. Louis’s Link initiative, which pairs students with academic and life-skills coaching, offer one model colleges could expand as they update how they identify and support this population.
Why it matters: Better estimates help colleges plan disability services, staffing and funding instead of relying on decades-old data that undercounts autistic students.
Source: Disability Scoop →
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