Prevalence and Predictors of Caregivers’ Reports of Academic, Language, Social, and Behavioral Individualized Education Program Goal Domains Among School-Age Autistic Students

The aims of this study were to (a) characterize the prevalence and interrelationship of Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals in academic (reading, writing, math) and developmental (language, social skills, behavioral) domains in a large U.S. national sample of autistic children across the elementary and secondary grade levels and (b) examine how demographic and developmental factors predict having at least one IEP goal in each domain. Primary caregivers of 551 autistic students completed survey questions about demographic, developmental, and educational services and supports information. Findings highlighted the heterogeneity of IEP goals across academic, language, social, and behavioral domains with odds of having at least one goal in specific domains most consistently related to differences in classroom placement, adaptive behavior, grade level, and region.