Learning Disabilities and English Language Learners

Minority Overrepresentation

One of the most critical issues in special education's modern history is the overrepresentation of minorities in special education. Despite the fact that considerable efforts have been made to understand and address the issue over the past three decades, the problem is still reflected in enrollment statistics today. Factors that can affect the degree of disproportionate representation are district size, assessment measures used to indicate the problem, and the availability of alternative curricula such as bilingual programs. The existing research on overrepresentation has focused solely on issues of race, however, and has failed to address the impact that various diversity markers such as language proficiency and social class might have on overrepresentation and underrepresentation of minorities in special education programs.

Most of the studies focusing on ELLs have addressed the issue of misplacement. When linguistic barriers, which are already a concern for assessing ELLs, are added to a disability, how to assess the student becomes even more complicated.

Assessment Bias

Research concludes that, typically, ELLs are not tested in their native language and as a consequence can become victims of assessment bias. Many ELLs in special education classes have been diagnosed as having a learning disability when in reality they may lack only English proficiency. On the other hand, many children who need special educational services may not receive them because of efforts to reduce the number of minority students served, a controversy that has plagued special education for decades.

This might be explained by the fact that when these children enter American schools, their native language stops developing and is, in fact, slowly lost. At the same time, English is not developing adequately. Therefore, these children end up with significant language deficits that affect their literacy development. The extent to which aptitude or conduct of concern in school performance is an intrinsic attribute of the child or a consequence of the child's environment is not easy to determine, especially when these children are ELLs.

Delivery of services and educational decisions for ELLs with disabilities have been historically determined based on research and practices that have been proven effective for their monolingual peers. It seems, however, that this might overlook the linguistic needs of ELLs with disabilities. Language and culture must be an integral part of the educational plan for all children. Failing to consider these factors may mean that students do not receive an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment as mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Consequently, the need to understand and identify interventions and assessment processes to help maximize the educational experience of ELLs with disabilities is clear and urgent. Well-conducted studies that seek to identify predictors of reading failure in ELL populations are clearly needed.

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