Numerous studies show the academic and social benefits for children
with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD) of including them in
classes with children who do not have these issues. Few studies,
however, examine the effects of this inclusion on their non-disabled
classmates.
Given that children who have EBD often cause disruptions, and that
disruptions are associated with reduced student engagement, Michael
Gottfried, Anna Egalite, and J Jacob Kirksey recently examined
the correlation between the absentee rate of non-disabled
kindergartners (Year 1) who had peers with EBD in their classrooms with
those who didn’t.
Subjects were the nationally representative sample of kindergartners
used in the US Early Childhood Longitudinal Study 2010-2011, a study
conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. Results
showed more annual absences in classes that included peers with an EBD
than in classes that didn’t. The incidences of chronic absence were also
higher for students who had an EBD classmate. Patterns emerged for
absent students: girls were more likely to be absent than boys, as were
non-ELL and higher-income students. Patterns also emerged showing that
students with EBD classmates were less likely to be absent when they had
teachers with more experience, teachers certified in special education,
or teachers who spent more time on discipline. They found that
including children with other types of disabilities did not cause the
same types of disruptions as including those with EBDs.
Source: Does the Presence of a Classmate with
Emotional/behavioral Disabilities Link to Other Students’ Absences in
Kindergarten? (2016), Early Childhood Research Quarterly