How Do Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Conceal Inequity? A Systematic Examination

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Our symposium seeks to examine and disrupt social inequalities embedded within IDEA-mandated (2004) Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) systems serving children labeled as disabled between birth and age 5. Researchers across disciplines have documented social disparities experienced by young children labeled as disabled and their families due to the intertwined experiences of racism and ableism, but little research has been done to systematically understand how such inequalities get perpetuated in EI/ECSE and how they may be disrupted. Therefore, the purpose of our symposium is twofold: to systematically examine how social inequalities are embedded and reproduced within EI/ECSE systems from three different perspectives and to identify pathways prompting reductions of social disparities in EI/ECSE.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Special and Inclusive Education Research

Chair

• Sheresa Boone Blanchard, SRI International

Papers

• How Does EI/ECSE (Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education) Imagine Young Children Labeled as Disabled? A Systematic Examination - Ruby Batz, University of Nevada - Reno; Courtney O'Grady, University of Alabama; Megan Vihn, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• What Is Known About (In)Equity in Early Intervention? Findings From a Scoping Review and Metasynthesis - Lauren Cycyk, University of Oregon; Ruby Batz, University of Nevada - Reno