Applying Data Science Practices to Identify Characteristics of Postsecondary Autism Support Programs From Their Websites.
Web-scraping gives BCBAs an up-to-date map of college autism supports that hand searches keep missing.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team wrote computer code that visited every U.S. college website.
The code hunted for pages that mention autism support.
It saved what each program offers, who can use it, and where it is.
No one had to read thousands of sites by hand.
What they found
The scraper found dozens of programs that old hand searches missed.
Support is patchy: some states have many, others almost none.
Many sites hide key details like cost or how to apply.
How this fits with other research
Murphy et al. (2014) counted only 20 small studies about college autism help.
West et al. (2025) now show the real number of live programs is far bigger.
The 2014 picture looked empty; the 2025 map shows it is just scattered.
Wong et al. (2022) used expert picks to list 15 innovative autism programs.
The scraper found 49 extra college programs without asking anyone.
Together the papers prove we still lack solid outcome studies, but services exist—we just could not see them all before.
Why it matters
If you help students pick a college, you can now check the live map first.
You will spot programs near you that never show up in old review articles.
Share the map with families so they do not miss hidden options.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
PURPOSE: An increasing number of autistic students in the United States are seeking post-secondary education. In response, some post-secondary institutions have established Autism Support Programs (ASP) to address the comprehensive needs of this population. There is little up-to-date, comprehensive information about which institutions host these programs, what types of services they offer, and what is required to access them. METHODS: Expanding on previous research, we introduce a new method, which utilizes established data science techniques, to identify ASPs at post-secondary institutions in the U.S. Our technique also allows us to identify the characteristics of the ASPs, including admissions requirements, cost, structure, and supports offered. RESULTS: Results highlight our method is more efficient and more robust than previous methods from the literature. For example, we identify 49 schools hosting ASPs that were not identified in past literature searches. We report on the characteristics of identified ASPs such as application process, most common supports and program cost. CONCLUSION: The bi-directional change in the number of ASPs shows that this is an evolving field, requiring automated tools to enable regular updates to data. Although it is promising that a relative handful of U.S. schools have established these programs, a large majority of post-secondary institutions have not, and for those that host them, barriers to access exist, including the necessity of an ASD diagnosis, coupled with up-front and ongoing costs.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.58997/fa3