The prevalence of disability diagnoses among young children has risen significantly over recent decades. This growth has prompted inquiries into the identification processes, notably focusing on teachers who are the primary sources of referrals. While some studies have examined child age as a relevant predictor of disability referral, minimal attention has been paid to relative age—namely, if children are younger than their classmates. In this study, we examine whether teachers refer children differently based on relative classroom age. We do so for traditional public schools versus magnet schools, as each type has been shown to serve different student populations. Results show no significant association between classroom age composition and referral rates in either school type. However, in traditional public schools, a higher proportion of younger children in classrooms correlated with a higher proportion of referrals for younger children, whereas magnet schools showed no such trend. Policy implications are discussed.

中文翻译：

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教师对幼儿的特殊教育推荐是否因学校类型而异


近几十年来，幼儿中残疾诊断的患病率显着上升。这种增长促使人们对识别过程进行调查，特别是关注作为推荐的主要来源的教师。虽然一些研究将儿童年龄作为残疾转诊的相关预测因素，但对相对年龄（即孩子是否比同学年轻）的关注很少。在这项研究中，我们研究了教师是否会根据课堂相对年龄对孩子进行不同的推荐。我们针对传统公立学校和磁力学校这样做，因为每种类型都已被证明可以服务不同的学生群体。结果显示，任一学校类型的班级年龄构成与转介率之间均无显着关联。然而，在传统公立学校中，教室里年龄较小的孩子比例较高，与年龄较小的孩子的转介比例较高相关，而磁石学校则没有表现出这种趋势。讨论了政策影响。