Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41878670›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of population data science2026

Enrolment, attendance, and education resourcing and support among 5-12 year old autistic students in Aotearoa New Zealand: a nationwide cross-sectional study.

Nicholas Bowden, Francesca Anns, Sally Clendon, Joanne Dacombe, Lisa Meehan, Hien Vu, Emma Woodford, Laurie McLay

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of population data science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Nicholas BowdenDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dunedin School of Medicine, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka | University of Otago, Ōtepoti | Dunedin, Aotearoa | New Zealand.
Francesca AnnsCOMPASS Research Centre, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland, Aotearoa | New Zealand.
Sally ClendonInstitute of Education, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University, Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland, Aotearoa | New Zealand.
Joanne DacombeDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dunedin School of Medicine, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka | University of Otago, Ōtepoti | Dunedin, Aotearoa | New Zealand.
Lisa MeehanNew Zealand Policy Research Unit, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau | Auckland University of Technology, Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland, Aotearoa | New Zealand.
Hien VuDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dunedin School of Medicine, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka | University of Otago, Ōtepoti | Dunedin, Aotearoa | New Zealand.
Emma WoodfordTe Kaupeka Oranga | Faculty of Health and Child Well-being Research Institute, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand.
Laurie McLayTe Kaupeka Oranga | Faculty of Health and Child Well-being Research Institute, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Participation in education underpins positive lifelong outcomes, yet Autistic children often encounter barriers to enrolment, attendance, and access to support. Evidence indicates that systemic challenges such as inadequate support, limited autism-specific teacher training, and restricted access to resources contribute to disparities in educational outcomes. While small sample studies highlight these inequities, population-level evidence is limited. Objectives: To quantify nationwide differences in school enrolment, attendance, and access to educational resourcing and support services between Autistic and non-Autistic children aged 5-12 years in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), and to examine variation by co-occurring intellectual disability (ID). Methods: Cross-sectional analysis using NZ's Integrated Data Infrastructure, including all children aged 5-12 in 2019. Autism and ID were identified from hospital, mental health, and disability service use datasets. Outcomes included enrolment, attendance, and access to supports. Propensity score matching (1:10) compared Autistic and non-Autistic students across outcomes, including stratification by ID status. Results: Among 517,872 students aged 5-12 years, 8,169 (1.6%) were Autistic and of those 28.8% had co-occurring ID. Compared to matched peers, Autistic children were less likely to be enrolled in school (94.9% vs. 97.4%; Prevalence ratio [PR]=0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.97-0.98) but more likely to be enrolled in specialist schools (14.4% vs. 0.2%; PR=70.15, 95% CI=65.73-74.88), Te Kura (2.1% vs. 0.2%; PR=9.65, 95% CI=8.22-11.34), or home-schooling (2.2% vs. 0.9%; PR=2.45, 95% CI=2.11-2.84). Regular attendance was lower (49.3% vs. 61.2; PR=0.80, 95% CI=0.79-0.82), with higher rates of chronic absence (7.7% vs. 3.2%; PR=2.45, 95% CI=2.27-2.64). Access to supports was significantly higher for Autistic students across a range of services. Disparities were often more pronounced among Autistic children with ID. Conclusion: This study demonstrates significant differences in enrolment, attendance, and access to educational supports between Autistic and non-Autistic students in NZ, underscoring the urgent need for targeted and sufficiently resourced supports to ensure equitable participation.

Indexed as

Autistic DisorderSchoolsStudentsChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansIntellectual DisabilityMaleNew Zealandautismeducationschool attendanceschool enrolmentsupports

Identifiers

PMID41878670
PMCPMC13007848

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.