Varied presentations of emotion dysregulation in autism complicate diagnostic decision making and may lead to inaccurate psychiatric diagnoses or delayed autism diagnosis for high-functioning children. This pilot study aimed to determine the concordance between prior psychiatric diagnoses and the results of an autism-specific psychiatric interview…

Recent years have seen a surge of interest in assessment instruments for diagnosing autism in children. Instruments have generally been developed and evaluated from a research perspective. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS-G), Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS) have received…

Discusses hypotheses and methodologies needed to extend understanding of the ethnic representation of students with serious emotional disturbances. Technical methods are discussed to ensure that estimates for the extent of disproportionate representation are accurate. Research needed to produce better conceptual understanding of why…

A study of 4,151 school districts found a clear association among ethnicity, gender, and mental retardation. Sociodemographic variables were also strongly associated with the proportion of students identified. A logistical regression model that included sociodemographic predictors was significantly better than models with gender and race alone.…

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to placement in special education for males and females. The conceptual approach included individual, family, and school characteristics believed to influence educational performance and outcomes with emphasis was given to variables for with evidence of differential effects for males and…

A study involving 4,141 schools investigated gender and race/ethnicity disproportionality among students identified as having learning disabilities. There was a clear association between ethnicity and gender and the odds of being identified as a student with learning disabilities. School sociodemographic factors also associated with the proportion…

Relationships among state identification rates for serious emotional disturbances and economic and demographic variables were explored. Variation in per pupil revenue explained about one-fourth of the variance in identification rates. States differed significantly based on region, elementary and secondary expenditure, per pupil revenue, and per…

Analysis of Department of Education national survey data found that school districts' sociodemographic characteristics were strongly associated with the proportion of students identified as having emotional disturbance (ED). Results also indicated a clear association between ethnicity/gender and the likelihood of being identified as having ED,…

A study of 4,455 school districts found African-American students were about 2.4 times more likely to be identified as mildly mentally retarded and about 1.5 times more likely to be identified as seriously emotionally disturbed than their non-African-American peers. Economic and demographic variables were significant predictors of disproportionate…

This final report discusses the outcomes of a policy research study designed to improve decision making during the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Issues were identified and policy briefs were developed on: (1) the federal financial formula for special education; (2) the role of economic and demographic…