By the Office of Special Education Programs

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) released an updated Fast Facts: Children Identified with Autism, which takes an updated look at our data on children whose primary disability is autism. We revised and updated our very first (and one of our most popular) OSEP Fast Facts.

Highlights from 2024 OSEP Fast Facts: Children Identified with Autism

• In school year (SY) 2022-23, the percentage of students with disabilities identified with autism is 12.81%. States report a range from 5.76% to 17.28% of students with disabilities identified with autism.
• In SY 2021-22, students with disabilities identified with autism were less likely to be subject to a disciplinary removal than all students with disabilities.
• In SY 2022-23, states/entities and local educational agencies (LEAs) were more like to identify males with autism than females when compared to all students with disabilities.
• In SY 2021-22, students identified with autism, ages 14-21, exiting school were less likely to drop out and more likely to receive a certificate than all students with disabilities.
• In SY 2022-23, states/entities and LEAs were more likely to identify Asian students with autism when compared to all students with disabilities.
• In SY 2022-23, students identified with autism were less likely to be served inside the regular class 80% or more of the day than all students with disabilities.

OSEP Fast Facts is an ongoing effort to display data from the 12 data collections authorized under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Section 618 into graphic, visual representations with the intent to present 618 data quickly and clearly.

Visit the OSEP Fast Facts page for existing and future Fast Facts.