Recent studies have provided evidence that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are gravitated by the population with ASD more than people with any other disability. Unfortunately, there is a lack of high-quality research about which factors influence the STEM pipeline between high school and postsecondary STEM majors. This identifies a research gap as knowledge regarding the influencing factors is essential to motivate such students and remove the barriers.
The present study obtained and analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2. NLTS2 has a nationally representative sample of students with an ASD that avails the facility of special education in the United States.
The study concluded that students with an ASD who took more advanced math classes in a general education setting were more likely to declare a STEM major after controlling for background characteristics and previous achievement level. Educational policy implications are discussed. Further research is required to outline the positive and negative influencing factors to obtain data of significant importance in designing motivational and support programs for the population with ASD desiring to pursue higher studies and have a better academic life.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1088357615588489
