| Are you concerned about the amount of minority | | | | Factors that may contribute to disabilities include: |
| children that are being diagnosed with disabilities in your | | | | 1. Health issues like prenatal care, access to medical |
| school district? Are you worried about the large | | | | care, child nutrition, and possible exposure to lead and |
| numbers of African American boys receiving special | | | | other pollutants. |
| education services? Are you concerned about your | | | | 2. Lack of access to good quality medical care as well |
| child who is in a minority group and being found eligible | | | | as services for any mental health disorders. |
| for special education! Much has been written in the | | | | 3. Cultural issues and values or stigma attached to |
| past several years about the increased numbers of | | | | disability |
| poor African-American children receiving special | | | | 4. Discrimination along the lines of class and race! |
| education services. This article will discuss this issue, | | | | 5. Misdiagnosis of the child's behavioral and academic |
| and also underlying causes of this. | | | | difficulty. |
| In 1975 when the Education for All Handicapped | | | | A few ideas that could help decrease the over |
| Children Act was passed Congress found that poor | | | | identification: |
| African-American children were being placed in special | | | | 1. Better keeping of data to include increased |
| education much more often than other children. These | | | | information about race, gender, and race by gender |
| difficulties continue today. In the Findings section of | | | | categories. More detailed, systematic, and |
| IDEA 2004 Congress stated about the ongoing | | | | comprehensive data collections would provide a better |
| problems with the over-identification of minority children | | | | sense of demographic representation in special |
| including mislabeling the children and high drop out rates. | | | | education that could better help understand this issue. |
| About 9% of all school age children are diagnosed with | | | | 2. More analytic research is needed to improve our |
| a disability and receive special education services. But | | | | understanding of the numerous factors that |
| African-American children receive special education | | | | independently or in combination contribute to a disability |
| services at a rate about 40% higher than the national | | | | diagnosis. |
| average across racial and ethnic groups at about | | | | 3. More people that are willing to help advocate for |
| 12.4%. Studies have shown that schools that have | | | | children in this situation. I believe that some of this issue, |
| mostly white students and teachers, place a | | | | is related to the inability of some special education |
| disproportionately high number of minority children in | | | | personnel to understand cultural differences. |
| special education. | | | | 4. Better and clearer guidelines for diagnosing disabilities |
| Also, rates of mental retardation and emotional | | | | that could reduce the potential for subjective |
| behavioral disturbance are extremely elevated within | | | | judgments that are often cited for certain diagnosis. |
| the African-American population, roughly twice the | | | | 5. More improvements are needed in general |
| national average. Within the African-American | | | | education to help children learn to read and keep up |
| population the incidence of mental retardation is | | | | with their grade and age appropriate peers. |
| approximately 220% higher than other ethnic groups. | | | | I hope over time this issue will get resolved so that all |
| For emotional/behavioral disturbance the incidence is | | | | children receive an appropriate education. |
| approximately 175% higher than other ethnic groups. | | | | |