Blacks and special education

More than six million children in the United States receive special-education services for their disabilities. Of those age 6 and older, nearly 20% are black. Critics claim that this high number — blacks are 1.4 times more likely to be placed in special education than all other races combined — shows that black children are put into special education because schools are racially biased. But new research suggests just the opposite. The real problem is that black children are underrepresented in special-education classes when compared with white children with similar levels of academic achievement, behavior and family economic resources. Black children are less likely to be told that they have disabilities, and to be treated for them, than otherwise similar white children. From the beginning of kindergarten to the end of eighth grade, black children are less, not more, likely than white children with similar levels of academic performance and behaviors to be identified as having learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, intellectual disabilities, health impairments or emotional disturbances. Despite being more likely to experience symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, black children are less likely than white children to be given a diagnosis of A.D.H.D. And even among those who are given an A.D.H.D. diagnosis, black children are less likely than white children to receive medication to treat the condition.