Students of color and those from non-English-speaking families are under-identified for disabilities in comparison to white students. This under-identification spans various disability conditions, including learning disabilities and autism. While some recent analyses suggest that students of color may be over-identified in special education, historical evidence suggests systemic bias. The ability to understand disparities in disability identification is crucial, as previous studies may have skewed the results or lacked adequate representation in their samples.
Students of color are less likely to be identified with disabilities than similarly situated white students. This trend extends to students from non-English-speaking families, who also face similar under-identification.
Disability under-identification affects not only general populations but also spans across eight specific conditions, including speech language impairments and learning disabilities.
Current analyses of nationally representative datasets confirm that white students and those from English-speaking families are more likely to be identified with disabilities in U.S. schools.
The discussion on whether disparities exist in disability identification must be approached carefully due to potential biases in prior studies, leading to concerns of over-identification of minority students.
#disability-identification #minority-students #systemic-bias #special-education #educational-disparities
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