Question:
How many students with disabilities receive services?
Response:
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted in 1975, mandates that children and youth ages 3� with disabilities be provided a free and appropriate public school education. The percentage of total public school enrollment that represents children served by federally supported special education programs increased from 8.3 percent to 13.8 percent between 1976� and 2004�. Much of this overall increase can be attributed to a rise in the percentage of students identified as having specific learning disabilities from 1976� (1.8 percent) to 2004� (5.7 percent). The overall percentage of students being served in programs for those with disabilities decreased between 2004� (13.8 percent) and 2009� (13.1 percent). However, there were different patterns of change in the percentages served with some specific conditions between 2004� and 2009�. The percentage of children identified as having other health impairments (limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems such as a heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes) rose from 1.1 to 1.4 percent of total public school enrollment, and the percentage with autism rose from 0.4 to 0.8 percent. The percentage of children with specific learning disabilities declined from 5.7 percent to 4.9 percent of total public school enrollment during this period.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2012). Digest of Education Statistics, 2011 (NCES 2012-001), Chapter 2.
| Children 3 to 21 years old served in federally supported programs for the disabled, by type of disability: Selected years, 1976-77 through 2009-10 | ||||||||||||
Type of Disability |
1976-77 | 1980-81 | 1990-91 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2002-03 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-081 | 2008-091 | 2009-10 |
| Number served (in thousands) | ||||||||||||
| All disabilities | 3,694 | 4,144 | 4,710 | 6,195 | 6,296 | 6,523 | 6,719 | 6,713 | 6,686 | 6,606 | 6,483 | 6,481 |
| Specific learning disabilities | 796 | 1,462 | 2,129 | 2,834 | 2,868 | 2,848 | 2,798 | 2,735 | 2,665 | 2,573 | 2,476 | 2,431 |
| Speech or language impairments | 1,302 | 1,168 | 985 | 1,080 | 1,409 | 1,412 | 1,463 | 1,468 | 1,475 | 1,456 | 1,426 | 1,416 |
| Intellectual disability | 961 | 830 | 534 | 600 | 624 | 602 | 578 | 556 | 534 | 500 | 478 | 463 |
| Emotional disturbance | 283 | 347 | 389 | 469 | 481 | 485 | 489 | 477 | 464 | 442 | 420 | 407 |
| Hearing impairments | 88 | 79 | 58 | 71 | 78 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 79 | 78 | 79 |
| Orthopedic impairments | 87 | 58 | 49 | 71 | 83 | 83 | 73 | 71 | 69 | 67 | 70 | 65 |
| Other health impairments2 | 141 | 98 | 55 | 253 | 303 | 403 | 521 | 570 | 611 | 641 | 659 | 689 |
| Visual impairments | 38 | 31 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Multiple disabilities | --- | 68 | 96 | 111 | 133 | 138 | 140 | 141 | 142 | 138 | 130 | 131 |
| Deaf-blindness | --- | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Autism | --- | --- | --- | 65 | 94 | 137 | 191 | 223 | 258 | 296 | 336 | 378 |
| Traumatic brain injury | --- | --- | --- | 14 | 16 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 |
| Developmental delay | --- | --- | --- | 19 | 178 | 283 | 332 | 339 | 333 | 358 | 354 | 368 |
| Preschool disabled3 | �/td> | �/td> | 390 | 581 | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> |
| Number served as a percent of total enrollment4 | ||||||||||||
| All disabilities | 8.3 | 10.1 | 11.4 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 13.5 | 13.8 | 13.7 | 13.6 | 13.4 | 13.2 | 13.1 |
| Specific learning disabilities | 1.8 | 3.6 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.9 |
| Speech or language impairments | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| Intellectual disability | 2.2 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Emotional disturbance | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Hearing impairments | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Orthopedic impairments | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Other health impairments2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Visual impairments | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Multiple disabilities | --- | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Deaf-blindness | --- | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # |
| Autism | --- | --- | --- | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Traumatic brain injury | --- | --- | --- | # | # | # | # | # | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Developmental delay | --- | --- | --- | # | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Preschool disabled3 | �/td> | �/td> | 0.9 | 1.2 | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> | �/td> |
--- Not available.
� Not applicable.
# Rounds to zero.
1Data do not include Vermont, for which 2007-08 and 2008-09 data were not available. In 2006-07, the total number of 3-to-21-year-olds served in Vermont was 14,010.
2Other health impairments include having limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems such as a heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes.
3Prior to 1990-91 and after 1999-2000, preschool children are included in the counts by disability condition. For other years, preschool children are not included in the counts by disability condition, but are separately reported.
4Based on the total enrollment in public schools, prekindergarten through 12th grade.
NOTE: Prior to October 1994, children and youth with disabilities were served under Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as well as under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B. Data reported in this table for years prior to 1994� include children ages 0� served under Chapter 1. Data are for the 50 states and the District of Columbia only. Increases since 1987� are due in part to new legislation enacted in fall 1986, which added a mandate for public school special education services for 3- to 5-year-old disabled children. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2012). Digest of Education Statistics, 2011 (NCES 2012-001), Table 46.Related Tables and Figures: (Listed by Release Date)
Other Resources: (Listed by Release Date)
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