Some of the services we provide at the Center for Effective Living are evaluation and treatment of ADHD, including treatment without medicine, and comprehensive assessment for school-related problems. A new study has revealed that “white students were more likely than otherwise similar minority students to be identified with a disability in each of (the following) categories”: “emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, ‘other health impairment’ (a category that often includes students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), specific learning disability, and speech and language impairment.” Below is an excerpt from an article that appeared recently in Education Week on this special education study and its implications. If you’re the parent of a school-aged child and suspect that your child might warrant evaluation for learning disabilities or other school-related problems, and you’re in the greater Cleveland area, we hope you’ll reach out to us. If you’re outside the Cleveland area, we recommend contacting your child’s school guidance counselor for evaluation options in your area.
Please read the excerpt here, then click the link below for the full article:
When the children were compared after accounting for those confounding factors, the probability for being identified for special education was always lower for minority students. Morgan explained that race may not be playing a role in special education identification, but that there are many negative factors for children that are associated with race. For example, black children may be more likely to be born at a low birth weight, or to be in low-income households. Morgan said that educators may also be avoiding identifying minorities for special education because they are concerned about tipping towards overidentification.
The children in the national sample were followed from kindergarten through 8th grade, and the pattern did not vary: white students were more likely to be identified as being in those disability categories. Just looking at the percentage of black children identified with a disability compared to their population in the school body is not enough, Morgan said: it’s those risk factors that appear to make a real difference.
(A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute had similar results: When controlling for a variety of confounding factors, the kindergarten-readiness gap between young white and minority students shrank significantly. Also, other health research has found that minority children are less likely to be diagnosed with disabilities such as autism.)