Disproportionality and Learning Disabilities

Shifrer, D., Muller, C., & Callahan, R. (2011). Disproportionality and learning disabilities: Parsing apart race, socioeconomic status, and language. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44(3), 246-257.

For their research Shifrer et. al use the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 to describe national patterns in learning disability and identification. In doing so, they found that differences in socioeconomic status account for African American and Hispanic disproportionality. This research is important because “disproportionality raises concerns about the validity and reliability of the label learning disabled and suggests that placement in special education may function as a tool of discrimination”. The disproportionate rates in which minorities are identified is a major issue because students may be referred to special education due to reasons other than cognitive disabilities. The identification process is viewed as inconsistent and inaccurate. According to Shifrer and colleagues, the roots of the disproportionality are due to reasons such as the vague subjective definitions of criteria for learning disabilities which lead to disproportionate identification of various socio-demographic groups. Although there is not much research on this, some regard disproportionality to blatant teacher racism, and the rejection of minority cultures by dominant culture, and the use of disability as an instrument of disadvantage. Additionally, current methods of assessment are unfavorable towards minority students, yielding lower average achievement levels of minorities leaving them more vulnerable to identification. Additionally IQ test are culturally biased. Lastly, the authors discuss the impact lower socioeconomic status has on brain development due to poor nutrition, health, chronic stress which leads to cognitive disorders.

Major findings from their study were identification of a learning disability appears to be correlated with socio-demographic characteristics; this suggests that identification of a learning disability reflects social differences more than cognitive difference.

1. Disproportionate identification of African American and Hispanic students with learning disabilities is accounted for by the lower average SES of these racial/ethnic subgroups.
2. Identification with learning disabilities is associated with a student’s sex, socio-demographic (non cognitive) characteristics and academic history.
3. Aspects of being a language minority appear to play a role in a student’s likelihood of identification with a learning disability.

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