2026 CASE Conference

From National Trends to Local Practice: Strengthening Autism Identification Through Data-Based Systems (Room Waterplace Ballroom II (Omni))

13 Nov 26
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Tracks: Educational Leadership: Leading with Purpose

Speaker(s): Christine Peck, Program Administrator, Cooperative Educational Services; Dana Bossio, School Psychologist, Cooperative Educational Services

Autism identification rates in special education vary substantially across states, raising important questions for district leaders about evaluation practices and eligibility determination. As autism prevalence has increased nationally, administrators are increasingly asked to interpret these trends and ensure that eligibility decisions are accurate, consistent, and defensible. This session examines autism prevalence data across all 50 states and explores how differences in the operationalization of autism eligibility criteria may influence identification patterns. Analysis suggests that states with highly operationalized eligibility guidance—particularly those that explicitly link evaluation data to DSM criteria—tend to report prevalence rates that more closely align with national surveillance estimates. Participants will explore leadership implications of these findings and consider how identification systems influence prevalence trends. The session introduces a leadership reflection framework administrators can use to evaluate local evaluation practices and strengthen data-based decision making in autism identification.