It’s the Law: Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Legal Update

By Perry A. Zirkel Principal, May/June 2012 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to be an active area of K-12 student litigation. In a recent study of court decisions concerning free appropriate public education (FAPE), which is the most litigated issue under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), I found that the percentage of cases attributable to students with ASD was almost 10 times higher than their percentage in the special education population, with both proportions rising dramatically since the early 1990s.