Darker Skin, Harsher Discipline: Parental Perspectives on Colorism and ADHD Management in Education

• In Event: Children and Youth Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: School Violence, Victimization, and Institutional Discipline

Abstract

About 1 in 10 school-aged children are diagnosed with ADHD, yet school responses often reflect racialized perceptions. While racial disparities in discipline are well documented, less attention has been paid to how skin tone shapes school-based treatment. Drawing on DisCrit and colorism scholarship, this study examines how racialized ableism operates within racial groups. Using survey data from 112 parents of children with ADHD in Pre-K–12, I examine how skin tone influences ADHD-related discipline, emotional support, and differential treatment. Logistic and ordered logistic regression models that show darker-skinned children are more likely to face harsh discipline and receive less emotional support, even when race, parental involvement, and school resistance were taken into account. Models that substitute race (Black vs. White) for skin tone are weaker and less consistent, suggesting that skin tone is a more precise predictor of school responses to behavior. Findings highlight the need to address colorism as part of racialized ableism in schools and demonstrate that broad racial categories obscure meaningful intragroup differences in discipline and support.

Author

• Ashley B Borjon, University of California, Merced