Teachers of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, and Developmental Disability: Supports and Their Intent to Stay in Special Education.

This article examines factors influencing the retention of special education teachers (SETs) in U.S. public schools, focusing specifically on those working with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), and developmental disability (DD). Using survey data from 859 SETs, the study compares novice and experienced teachers’ perceptions of administrator and colleague support, professional development (PD), mentorship, resources, and their intent to stay in the profession. Findings indicate that novice teachers report higher levels of support and greater intent to remain than experienced teachers, while teachers serving students with ASD generally perceive more support across several domains than those working with ID, DD, or other disabilities. Despite differences in perceived support, no significant differences were found in intent to stay among the disability groups, suggesting similar retention challenges across these populations. The study highlights the need for targeted, high-quality supports and further research on how these factors affect retention, especially for teachers serving students with ID and DD.