Autistic Kids Lean to STEM Majors in College – If They Go

A new study confirms a popularly held belief that kids with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) gravitate toward STEM majors in college. STEM refers to majors in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. But the study also found that young adults with autism have one of the lowest college enrollment rates.

“STEM careers are touted as being important for increasing both national economic competitiveness and individual career earning power,” said Paul Shattuck, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, who co-authored the study, which was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

“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.”