Short Report - Examining race, ethnicity, sex, and gender among autistic youth and their educators in school-based research

Oct 15, 2026

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Racial/ethnic minoritized youth remain underrepresented in autism research, and inequities in access to and use of autism-specific services affect how well evidence-based practices work. This short report analyzes race, ethnicity, sex, and gender among participants in school-based autism research across 14 years of studies in the United States, offering insights into who is served, how school partnerships may increase diversity, and where barriers persist.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Lay abstract

Keywords

Background and rationale

Demographic definitions

Research questions and context

Short Report Examining race, ethnicity, sex, and gender among autistic youth and their educators who participated in school-based research Olivia Linkous 1, Katherine Soon 1, James D Lee 1, Adora Du 1, Wendy Shih2, Karen Bearss 1, Connie Kasari2 and Jill Locke 1 Autism 2024, Vol. 28(10) 2675–2681 © The Author(s) 2024 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/13623613241262144](DOI: 10.1177/13623613241262144)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/13623613241262144)[journals.sagepub.com/home/aut](journals.sagepub.com/home/aut) Abstract Racial/ethnic minoritized youth are underrepresented in autism research. Documented inequities in accessibility to and utilization of autism-specific services highlight the importance of better understanding for whom and under what conditions autism evidence-based practices (EBPs) work. This report examines the race, ethnicity, sex, and gender of school-based autism research participants (e.g. educators, students), given schools are the most common setting in which autistic youth receive services in the United States (US). Data across 14 years of research, for eight school-based studies in the US, showed that while most teachers identified as non-Hispanic White, over half of the youth sampled identified as being of a racial/ethnic minoritized background. Findings provide insights into who is being served in schoolbased autism research and how school partnerships may increase diversity among autism research participants and offera means of reducing existing barriers. Researchers should continue to utilize schools to reach diverse populations and consider how demographic characteristics of school staff affect EBP effectiveness. Researchers should continue to better understand the impact of the EBP, provider, and setting on outcomes. Lay abstract Schools are the main provider of behavioral health services in the United States (US). Conducting research in schools may help increase access for autistic youth, but there is limited research about who participates in school-based autism research. The researchers examined data spanning 14 years of participation in school-based autism research. All data were collected in the US. Researchers found that in this sample, more than half of the youth identified as racial/ethnic minoritized (REM) youth. However, demographics of sampled youth were significantly different than expected, based on publicly available school-based population demographics. More youth identified as White non-Hispanic than would be expected in those schools. Majority of the sampled educators also identified as White non-Hispanic. High percentages of autistic REM youth suggest school-based autism research may be an effective way of providing services to more diverse populations. However, sampled schools were also not representative of a US national sample, with sampled schools having fewer White non-Hispanic youth than would be expected from US national statistics. Complexity around representation of schools sampled and demographics of service environments suggests a need for more research. Keywords autism spectrum disorder, educators, racial/ethnic minoritized youth, school-based research Over one third of youth in the United States (US) receive mental healthcare in schools (Ali et al., 2019), and schools are currently the main provider of behavioral health services for autistic children (Locke et al., 2017) . However, there is limited research on who accesses these interventions in schools (Machalicek et al., 2022) as many autism intervention studies fail to report participants’demographic 1 University of Washington, USA 2University of California, Los Angeles, USA Corresponding author: Jill Locke, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, School Mental Health Assessment Research and Training (SMART) Center, Building 29, 6200 NE 74th St, Seattle,

FAQs

Why are race, ethnicity, sex, and gender important in school-based autism research?

The report highlights that racial/ethnic minoritized youth are underrepresented in autism research and that access and utilization of autism-specific services are linked to how evidence-based practices work under specific conditions.

What did the 14-year dataset show about participant demographics?

Most teachers identified as non-Hispanic White, while over half of the autistic youth sampled identified as belonging to a racial/ethnic minoritized background. Youth and school demographics also differed from publicly expected school population patterns.

How do the authors suggest improving diversity and participation?

The report recommends continuing to use schools to reach diverse populations and considering how demographic characteristics of school staff may influence evidence-based practice effectiveness and outcomes.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blitz