Cycyk Lauren M, De Anda Stephanie, Ramsey Katrina L, Sheppard Bruce S, Zuckerman Katharine E
Communication Disorders and Sciences, Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, University of Oregon.
Biostatistics and Design Program, Oregon Health & Science University.
Educ Res. 2022 Oct;51(7):451-464. doi: 10.3102/0013189x221120262. Epub 2022 Oct 4.
This study examined Oregon's early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) pipelines as a function of children's intersecting ethnicity and home language(s) with a focus on children from Latino/a backgrounds with communication disorders. We found differences in children's referral source and age of referral, likelihood of evaluation and placement, and type of placement for conditions related to communication, including autism spectrum disorder and hearing impairment. Results showed differences in EI and ECSE; however, disproportionality appeared greatest among Spanish-speaking Latino/a children and non-Latino/a children who spoke languages other than English compared to non-Latino/a English-speaking counterparts. Our findings suggest attending to children's intersecting ethnicity and language backgrounds in referral, evaluation, and placement add nuance to examinations of disproportionality. Results also indicate that practices related to characterizing children's communication disorders likely make substantial contributions to inequities in EI and ECSE. Precise identification of differences in service provision can lead to targeted policy and practice solutions to reduce structural barriers to care in EI/ECSE systems and improve equity, particularly as related to placement for children of color with communication concerns.
本研究考察了俄勒冈州的早期干预（EI）和幼儿特殊教育（ECSE）流程，将其作为儿童交叉种族和家庭语言的一个函数，重点关注有沟通障碍的拉丁裔背景儿童。我们发现，在儿童的转介来源和转介年龄、评估和安置的可能性，以及与沟通相关病症（包括自闭症谱系障碍和听力障碍）的安置类型方面存在差异。结果显示了EI和ECSE中的差异；然而，与非拉丁裔说英语的儿童相比，说西班牙语的拉丁裔儿童和说英语以外其他语言的非拉丁裔儿童之间的不均衡现象似乎最为明显。我们的研究结果表明，在转介、评估和安置过程中关注儿童的交叉种族和语言背景，会为不均衡现象的研究增添细微差别。结果还表明，与确定儿童沟通障碍特征相关的做法可能对EI和ECSE中的不公平现象有很大影响。准确识别服务提供方面的差异，可带来有针对性的政策和实践解决方案，以减少EI/ECSE系统中获得护理的结构性障碍，并改善公平性，特别是与有沟通问题的有色人种儿童的安置相关的公平性。
