Risk behaviors for varying categories of disability in NELS:88.

A large body of research shows that youth with disabilities, who comprise about 13% of the country's school-aged population, report comparable to higher incidence rates of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use than their peers. Furthermore, youth with disabilities who reported ATOD use or who engaged in binge drinking had significantly more negative educational outcomes and engaged in sexual activity at a younger age than nonusers. This study describes risk factors for substance use, personal characteristics, aspects of the attitudinal environment, and educational, employment, and social outcomes among youth across 6 categories of disability. Data came from the National Center for Education Statistics' National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988-2000 (NELS:88). The findings indicate that (a) youth with varying types of disabilities are relatively homogenous with respect to risk behaviors, personal characteristics, and outcomes; (b) youth with emotional, learning, or multiple disabilities may be at heightened risk for binge drinking and marijuana use; and (c) youth with emotional and multiple disabilities may be less likely to graduate from high school or its equivalent 8 years beyond the 12th grade. Based on these results and limitations of the NELS sampling strategy, appropriate interventions are discussed as well as the need for more definitive operational definitions for disabilities, specifically the biopsychosocial approach used by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.