Understanding Factors that Predict Referral for Special Education Evaluation for Services by School Entry for Young Children with a History of Maltreatment

We aimed to understand the relation between child maltreatment and special education (SPED) service evaluation referrals in U.S. childcare settings. Extant data (N = 1,354) from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) was used to address the study aims. Results indicated that the odds of teacher-initiated service evaluation referrals at age 6 years were 2.5 times higher for boys than girls. Results for model 2 indicated that parental perception of the need for services was 2.6 times higher for children who were screened for developmental delays and 0.08 times lower for children who attended center-based childcare or preschool. Early identification and intervention are critical to improving the long-term outcomes for young children with disabilities. More research is needed to understand how to accurately make referrals for evaluation of SPED service needs and how to best support early childhood educators in accurately and effectively referring students for evaluation of SPED service needs.