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Published on: September 27, 2020
Special education and later academic achievement
Jennifer Ehrhardt1, Noelle Huntington, Janine Molino
1Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229 ,USA. jennifer.ehrhardt@cchmc.org
Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|February 1, 2013
Summary
Early special education intervention significantly boosts reading achievement in children with reading disorders (RD). Starting special education by first grade, compared to later grades, leads to greater reading score improvements through fifth grade, irrespective of socioeconomic status (SES).
Area of Science:
- Education
- Developmental Psychology
- Special Education
Background:
- Reading disorders (RD) affect a significant number of children, impacting their academic trajectory.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for addressing learning challenges.
- Socioeconomic status (SES) can influence access to educational resources and support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the grade of entry into special education and reading achievement gains in children with RD.
- To examine whether socioeconomic status moderates the impact of early special education entry on reading outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Secondary data analysis of the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K).
- Inclusion of 290 children identified with RD in the fifth-grade wave.
- Multiple linear regression used to model reading achievement change (1st to 5th grade) as a function of special education entry grade, controlling for covariates.
Main Results:
- Early entry to special education (by 1st grade) was significantly associated with greater reading achievement gains by 5th grade (p < .0001).
- Children entering by 1st grade gained 4.5 points more than those entering by 2nd grade (p < .0001).
- No significant difference in the magnitude of gains was observed between children of low and higher SES.
Conclusions:
- Early special education entry is linked to improved reading achievement for children with RD during elementary school years.
- The benefits of early intervention appear consistent across different socioeconomic backgrounds.
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