Special Education Identification of Head Start Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Second Grade

Abstract

Underidentification of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) appears to be a particular problem for children from low-income families. In the current study, two cohorts of 3,694 second-grade children across 30 sites were screened for EBD as part of a larger study on Head Start transition. At-risk status for EBD was determined by developing two sets of research diagnostic criteria: One set reflected the current federally mandated school definition of emotional disturbance (ED), which requires that ED symptoms in school be accompanied by functional impairment in academic or social skills. The second set reflected a proposed alternative definition that would require both school and parent involvement in determining the presence of symptoms. Children were assessed using clinical cutoff points on behavior ratings from teachers and parents, along with a determination of functional impairment in social skills or academic achievement. Actual school identification of children was done through a school archival records search in the spring of the children's second-grade year. Identification rates for the criteria sets were 16.9% for the current school definition and 6.2% for the alternative definition. Most participants identified by either criteria set were identified by the schools as belonging in categories other than emotional disturbance. Findings are discussed in relation to misidentification of children with EBD and possible gender or ethnic biases.

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