This blog post will discuss some recent facts and statistics about special education law in the United States. We discuss topics such as the number of students with disabilities enrolled in public schools, how those numbers vary from different states, and how schools categorize students according to their disability is important in understanding special education.  The facts and figures are taken from the Pew Research Center (Pew).  According to its webpage, Pew is an organization that purports to inform the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world and conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis, and other data-driven social science research. 

The recent Pew facts and figures about special education raise a number of interesting issues.  According to Pew, there are 7.3 million students with disabilities enrolled in public schools in the United States and this represents about 15% of all public school students. 15% sounds like a lot of students, and it is, however, it is debatable whether that number accurately reflects the total number of students with disabilities.  Some observers note that as many as 20% of students have a language based learning disability (such as dyslexia).  That’s just one disability.  Add that number to the many students with other disabilities and 15% suggests that a significant number of disabled students are not identified and enrolled in special education programs.  

Tellingly, Pew notes certain states, such as Pennsylvania (20.2%) and New York (20.5%) enroll a significantly higher percentage of their students in special education programs than other states, such as Texas (11.7%) and Idaho (also 11.7%).  Is it possible that Texas simply has less disabled children than Pennsylvania?  Or is it more possible that Pennsylvania and New York identify more of their students as eligible for special education services?

Pew further noted that students with autism made up 12% of the nation’s schoolchildren with disabilities in 2021-22, compared with 1.5% in 2000-01. Autism is a hotly debated issue in special education.  However, the purported increase in Autism diagnoses might actually reflect changes in how schools categorize disabled children rather than represent an increase in the number of students identified as disabled.  For example, over the last three decades the number of students identified with an intellectual disability has decreased significantly.  Perhaps schools that were quick to identify disabled students with intellectual disabilities are now categorizing a significant number of students with Autism.  Similarly, the share of disabled students with a specific learning disability, such as dyslexia, has declined over time from 45% to 32%.  Changes in how schools categorize students is an important part of understanding special education.

Here is a breakdown of the preceding information: 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

  • IDEA is a federal law
    • Aims to ensure children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE)
    • Same rights as non-disabled peers

Overview of Special Education Statistics

  • Recent facts and statistics about special education law in the United States
    • Pew Research Center as the data source
    • Pew’s mission and role

Enrollment of Students with Disabilities

  • 7.3 million students with disabilities in U.S. public schools (15% of all students)
    • Debates about the accuracy of this figure
      • Some students with language-based learning disabilities like dyslexia may not be included
    • Variations in enrollment percentages among states
      • Pennsylvania (20.2%) and New York (20.5%) enroll more than Texas (11.7%) and Idaho (11.7%)
    • Possible reasons for variations

Increase in Autism Diagnoses

  • Students with autism made up 12% of the nation’s schoolchildren with disabilities in 2021-22
    • Compared to 1.5% in 2000-01
    • Debate surrounding the increase in Autism diagnoses
    • Possible factors contributing to the rise
      • Changes in how schools categorize disabled children

Changes in Categorization of Disabilities

  • Changes in how schools categorize students with disabilities
    • Decrease in the number of students identified with an intellectual disability over the last three decades
      • Possible shift towards categorizing more students with Autism
    • Decline in the share of students with specific learning disabilities like dyslexia
    • Importance of understanding changes in categorization for special education analysis

Summary:

This blog post we discussed some recent facts and statistics about special education law in the United States. The blog post discussed topics such as the number of students with disabilities enrolled in public schools, how those numbers vary from different states and how schools categorize students according to their disability is important in understanding special education.

This information is always changing. The content here is relevant as of Summer, 20023. We will update it periodically. 

We hope this blog post has been informative. If you have any questions about special education law, please feel free to contact us.

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—Rita Pierson