Examination of Case Law (2007-2008) Regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder and Violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Abstract

Ninety-nine court cases from the LexisNexis database regarding students, ages 3-21, with various forms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were examined for the years 2007-2008. Procedural and substantive violations to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the provision of a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-Square analyses and logistic regression. Results were compared to earlier studies conducted from 2002–2004 which yielded relatively evenly split decisions between parents and school districts.