A Study of Psychological Referrals for Learning-Disabled Children

Abstract

This investigation examined the grade levels and gender of 1,332 learning-disabled students referred over a 17-year period. A significant difference was shown in referral trends both before and after passage of Public Law 94-142 and Indiana Rule S-1. The data indicated that 80% of the total referrals occurred at the elementary school level and 45.5% of the referrals occurred between grades 3 and 4. Gender differences were also apparent; males were referred far more frequently than females across all grades. The ratio was about 3.5:1, with 1,040 males to 292 females referred. The psychological and educational services implications of these grade clusters were discussed.