title: Are Minority Children Disproportionately Represented in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education?
abstract: We investigated whether and to what extent children who are racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in early intervention and/or early childhood special education (EC/ECSE). We did so by analyzing a large sample of 48-month-olds (N=7,950) participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), a nationally representative dataset of children born in the U.S. in 2001. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicate that boys (OR=1.66), children born at very low birthweight (OR=3.98) or with congenital anomalies (OR=2.17), and children engaging in externalizing problem behaviors (OR=1.10) are more likely to be represented in EI/ECSE. Children from low SES households (OR=.48), those displaying greater numeracy or receptive language knowledge (ORs=.96 and .76, respectively), and children being raised in households where a language other than English is primarily spoken (OR=.39) are less likely to be represented in EI/ECSE. Statistical control for these and an extensive set of additional factors related to cognitive and behavioral functioning indicated that 48-month-old children who are Black (OR=.24) or Asian (OR=.32) are disproportionately under-represented in EI/ECSE in the U.S.
authors.affiliation: Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: University of California, Irvine, CA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Farkas
authors.affiliation: Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
authors.forename: Marianne M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hillemeier
authors.affiliation: Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maczuga
keywords: Minority disproportionate representation; early intervention; preschool; racial/ethnic disparities; special education