Teachers play a crucial role in the diagnostic process of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in students: They are often the first to identify ADHD-related behaviors in children and to signal them to parents. Research has demonstrated that the recognition and labeling of certain behaviors as evidential for ADHD by teachers vary with…

This chapter examines how studies focused on the same topic--disproportionality in special education--can generate vastly different conclusions about its sources and causes. By analyzing existing disagreements in the field, we explore essential questions about what constitutes high-quality and relevant evidence when seeking to understand how,…

This introductory article discusses a study that investigated how at-risk students are defined in each of the Canadian provinces and Northern Territories and similarities in the definitions in the policy-making and policy implementation arenas. Different types of students that may be at-risk are described. (Contains references.) (CR)

Using data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study that included more than 11,000 students (ages 6-12), this study explored the primary disability classification assigned to students by their schools, the variety of disabilities that parents reported, functional limitations associated with students' disabilities, disability…

This book examines the effect of racial, ethnic, and cultural factors on the process of identifying and serving students with emotional or behavioral disorders. The book acknowledges the importance of diversity among students with behavioral disorders, and the need to consider their diversity in identifying their behaviors and intervening to…