Special education placements of language-disordered children in a psychiatric population

Children evaluated by an interdisciplinary team that provided data on psychiatric disturbance, language handicaps, and psychoeducational assessment were placed in special education classes following the complete evaluation. Discriminant analysis as a special case of multiple regression analysis determined that mean reading achievement score, pre-evaluation classroom placement, and to a lesser degree, Performance IQ predicted classroom placement. Overall, correct classroom predictions approached 90 percent. These findings highlight the value of interdisciplinary evaluation to educators and mental health professionals.