Relative age as a factor in special education diagnosis¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article treats a student's relative age among classroom peers as a factor influencing whether the student is diagnosed as disabled and receives special education services. It operationalizes relative age as months of age difference among peers and estimates its effect on the "likelihood of receiving special education services," finding that "an additional month of relative age decreases the likelihood of receiving special education services by 2-5 percent." The framework implies that youngest students in a grade face elevated classification risk.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Nationally representative survey data covering students' relative age within grade and special education service receipt

Constraints¶

• Evidence spans 1988-2004 and grades K-10 in the three surveys used

Target Learners¶

• K-10 students

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Accurate identification of students for special education services

Claims¶

• Relative Age Month Decreases Special Education Likelihood [+M]
• Relative Age Relates Disability Classification [+M]

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Elizabeth Dhuey, Stephen Lipscomb. (2010). Disabled or Young? Relative Age and Special Education Diagnoses in Schools. Economics of Education Review, vol. 29, no. 5. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/disabled-or-young-relative-age-and-special-education-diagnoses-in-schools