Raven's Guide to Special Education: Disabilities

Disabilities

Summary | PDD | ED | HI | MR | MD | OHI | OI | SLD | ADHD | SLI | TBI | VI

Millions of people have some type of physical, mental, or emotional condition that significantly limits their ability to function successfully in our society. Until recently the most commonly used term to refer to people with such conditions was handicapped. Now, however, the preferred word is disabled.

Federal legislation has established 12 disability categories: autism, deaf-blindness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairments, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairments.

Students with disabilities show a wide range of differences. Yet labeling such students by category is necessary to provide the financial resources needed for special programs and related services. Labeling, however, may minimize a student’s individuality and strengths, and may contribute to faulty teacher expectations about a student’s capabilities within the classroom.

Summary information about students placed in special education

The following summary information is from the Twenty-Fifth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act:

Preschool children

5.2 percent (620,195 children) of the total population of 3- through 5-year-old children in the United States received special education services in 2001.
Of the total number of preschoolers receiving special education services, 21.9 percent were 3 years old, 35.8 percent were 4 years old, and 42.3 percent were 5 years old.
Since 1991, the number of preschoolers receiving special education services increased 46.9 percent. The number of 3-year-olds increased 93.6 percent, the number of 4-year-olds increased 75.9 percent, and the number of 5-year-olds increased 30.7 percent.

School-age children

Based on public school enrollment, 12.1 percent of students (5,867,234 students) in the 6- through -21 age group received special education and related services in 2001.
The number of 6- through 11-year-olds served under IDEA grew until 1999-2000 and has since shown small declines in the number of children served. The number of 12- through 17-year-olds served under IDEA has grown each year. Since 1992-93, the number of students ages 18 through 21 served under IDEA has remained fairly constant.
Nearly 15 percent of students with disabilities ages 6 through 12 have three or more disabilities; almost 30 percent have two disabilities; and more than half have only one disability. About 28 percent of students with disabilities ages 13 through 17 have three disabilities; 19 percent have two disabilities and about 43 percent have only one disability.
Students identified as having disabilities are disproportionately male (67 percent), from racial and ethnic minorities, and more likely to live in families of lower socioeconomic status.
The largest number of students receiving special education services are categorized as learning disabled (49.2 percent). While the number of students receiving services for specific learning disabilities in the 12- through -17 age group has increased over the past 10 years, the number of 6- through 11-year-olds and 18- through 21-year-olds has remained steady.
The second largest group, by category, is speech or language impaired (18.6 percent). However, the close relationship between speech and language disorders and learning disabilities often makes it difficult to determine which is the primary disability. Many special education students (e.g., mentally retarded) receive speech or language services as a related service.
After learning disabled and speech or language impaired, the number of students placed in other categories drops off significantly. The mentally retarded are the next most prevalent group (10.3 percent), followed by emotionally disturbed (8.1 percent), and other health impaired (5.8 percent). All other categories combined account for only eight percent of placements.
Although autism makes up a small percentage of children served under IDEA, the number of students receiving services for autism in the 6- through -11 and 12- through -17 age groups grew markedly over the past 10 years.
Forty-one percent of all elementary and middle school-aged students with disabilities whose parents reported that their children had ADD/ADHD were served under the specific learning disabilities category, 10 percent under the speech and language impairment category, 11 percent under the mentally retarded category, 14 percent under the emotionally disturbed category, and 12 percent under the other health impaired category.

The percentage of black students with disabilities who received special education services for

Placements by race

Hispanic 14.6%
Black (not Hispanic) 20.5%
Asian/Pacific Islander 1.9%
American Indian/Alaska Native 1.3%
White (not Hispanic) 61.7%

mental retardation was

substantially higher than the percentage for any other racial/ethnic group (17.4 percent

compared with 8.2 percent for American Indian/Alaska Native students, 9.4 percent for Asian/Pacific Islander students, 8.1 percent for Hispanic students, and 8.6 percent for white students).

The great majority of students with disabilities received their education in regular schools, and of those, more were served in regular classes and in resource rooms than in separate classes.
From 1993-94 through 2000-01, the percentage of students with disabilities dropping out decreased from 45.1 percent to 41.1 percent.
From 1993-94 through 2000-01, the graduation rate improved for most disability categories.
Students with mental retardation or emotional disturbance consistently had the lowest graduation rates, and students with visual impairments or hearing impairments consistently had the highest graduation rates. The graduation rate for students with mental retardation, orthopedic impairments, or other health impairments has not substantially changed.
The graduation rate was highest for Asian/Pacific Islander (60.6 percent) and white (56.8 percent) students with disabilities. The graduation rate was lowest for black students with disabilities (36.5 percent).
The dropout rate was lowest for Asian/Pacific Islander (28.0 percent) and white students with disabilities (33.9 percent). The dropout rate was highest for American Indian/Alaska Native (52.2 percent) students with disabilities. Black (44.5 percent) and Hispanic (43.5 percent) students with disabilities had similar dropout rates.

This Web site includes a list of abbreviations used in special education.