Relationship Between Self-Determination and Academic Achievement for Autistic High School Students

Academic achievement is a key predictor for positive life outcomes and a critical factor for accessing postsecondary education and employment opportunities. However, autistic adolescents may struggle academically and fail to achieve their desired outcomes after leaving school. Self-determination has been identified as a promising positive predictor of academic achievement for students with disabilities, and we extend our investigation to examine its impact in the autistic adolescent population in this study. We utilized secondary data from the Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and employed multilevel modeling to address the nested structure of students within schools. Results suggested no clear association between self-determination and grade point average (GPA), unlike past studies that found a positive association between self-determination and academic achievement. Complexities surrounding GPA may account for differences in association observed. More research is needed to identify supportive factors for academic achievement in autistic high school students.