Statistics on the Children Receiving Services under IDEA

[Angelina David]

Who are the children receiving early intervention services or special education in public schools—literally, millions of individuals. For a closer look at who they are, you might find these current research studies of interest.

The children in early intervention.
SRI conducted the NEILS study, which followed more than 3,338 children with disabilities or at risk for disabilities and their families through their experiences in early intervention and into early elementary school. Read the final report, which distills key findings.
http://www.sri.com/work/publications/national-early-intervention-longitudinal-study-neils-final-report

The children in preschool.
And then there’s the PEELS study, which has followed a group of children who receive preschool special education services as they progress through the early elementary years.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20063003/

The children in special education.
Read about the SEELS study, a 5-year investigation of the children receiving special education services, ages 6 to 12.
www.seels.net/

And then there’s transition!
SRI follows up their previous transition studies with this new one–the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2)! NLTS2 is documenting the experiences of a national sample of students as they move into adult roles. Visit the main site to find out more–including what’s been found out to date!
http://www.nlts2.org

Summing it all up.
Every year, Congress receives an annual report on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), our nation’s special education law. Wanna know who’s being served, for what disability, by whom, where, and to what outcome? Visit the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), which oversees implementation of the law and reports the state of affairs to Congress. You’ll find the latest annual reports to Congress online as well as the annual data tables.
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/research.html