Youth with autism gravitate toward STEM majors in college—if
they get thereNovember 15th, 2012 in Autism spectrum disorders
It's a popularly held belief that individuals with an autism
spectrum disorder (ASD) gravitate toward STEM majors in college
(science, technology, engineering mathematics). A new study, co-
authored by Paul Shattuck, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown
School at Washington University in St. Louis, confirms that view
yet finds that young adults with an ASD also have one of the
lowest overall college enrollment rates. "STEM careers are
touted as being important for increasing both national economic
competitiveness and individual career earning power," Shattuck
says. "If popular stereotypes are accurate and college-bound
youth with autism gravitate toward STEM majors, then this has
the potential to be a silver lining story for a group where
gloomy predictions about outcomes in adulthood are more the
norm." The study provides the first national picture of college
enrollment and STEM partici