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Newborns at risk for special education placement: a population-based study
Minna K Mannerkoski1, Laura E Aberg, Taina H Autti
1Department of Child Neurology, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. minna.mannerkoski@hus.fi
Insights
Higher paternal age and lower socioeconomic status (SES) increase risks for special education (SE) placement, particularly for familial learning disabilities (LD). Low birth weight (BW) and male gender also contribute to SE placement risks.
Area of Science:
- Child development and educational psychology.
- Public health and epidemiology.
- Genetics and developmental disorders.
Background:
- Identifying risk factors for special education (SE) placement is crucial for early intervention.
- Previous research has explored various determinants, but the interplay of parental age, socioeconomic status (SES), birth weight (BW), and gender requires further investigation.
- Understanding familial versus non-familial forms of learning disabilities (LD) can refine risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the influence of birth weight (BW), gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and parental age on the likelihood of school-aged children requiring special education (SE) services.
- To differentiate risk factors associated with familial and non-familial learning disabilities (LD).
Main Methods:
- A population-based study involving 900 school-aged children categorized into special education (SE) levels (0-3) or a mainstream control group.
- Analysis included multinomial logistic regression to assess risk factors such as parental age, BW, gender, and SES.
- Familial forms of LD were identified by the presence of a sibling in SE groupings.
Main Results:
- Advanced paternal age (≥40 years), low birth weight (<2500g), male sex, and lower parental SES were significantly associated with increased SE placement probability.
- Familial forms of moderate to severe intellectual disability (ID) (Level 3) and borderline to mild ID (Level 2) showed lower parental SES and larger family size (Level 2).
- Non-familial borderline to mild ID (Level 2) was associated with both low and high birth weight (≥4000g).
Conclusions:
- Paternal age and SES are significant risk factors for learning disabilities (LD), especially in familial cases.
- Low birth weight and male gender are also important predictors of special education (SE) placement.
- The study underscores the need to consider a combination of biological, social, and familial factors in understanding SE placement risks.
Objectives:
To establish the contributions of birth weight (BW), gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and parental age on risks for special education (SE) placements in school-age children.
Methods:
A population-based sample of 900 school-age children attending the following full-time SE groups: at level 1, children had isolated neurodevelopmental, physical, or other impairments; at level 2, borderline to mild intellectual disability (ID); and at level 3, moderate to severe ID. Three hundred and one children enrolled in mainstream education formed the control group (level 0). For all children with siblings, we defined familiar forms of learning disorders as having a sibling in one of the SE groupings. We performed our analysis for the entire cohort as well as comparing risk factors within the familial and non-familial types of SE groupings.
Results:
In multinomial logistic regression analysis, age of father 40 years, low BW (<2500g or <-2 SD), male sex, and parent's lower SES, all increased the probability of SE placement. In the familial forms of levels 2 and 3, the parental SES was lower and, in addition, in the level 2, the family size was bigger. Furthermore, in the non-familial form of level 2, both the low and the high (4000g) BW were more common.
Conclusions:
Among the known risk factors for learning disabilities (LD), our study highlighted the importance of a higher paternal age and a lower SES especially in the familial forms of LD.
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