Examining the IEP Goals and Mathematical Outcomes of Autistic Students Across 2 Years

Autistic students’ individualized education programs (IEPs) outline annual goals to address identified needs, such as mathematics. Prior research has suggested that autistic students may need additional support in mathematics, especially in later grades. Thus, the current study examined (a) the relationship between autistic students’ grade-levels and mathematics scores, (b) the content (e.g., focus, repeated) of autistic students’ IEP goals, and (c) the association between mathematics scores on standardized assessments and math-focused IEP goals. The current study analyzed secondary data from 182 autistic students (K-12) from 28 schools, across two school years. Results suggested that as students’ grade-level increased, their mathematics performance decreased. Further, results suggested that on average autistic students had 7 IEP goals, although 50.3% of these goals were repeated from one year to the next. Finally, as mathematics scores decreased, the number of math-focused IEP goals increased. Implications for practice, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.