A comparative study of school-based interventions for students with emotional disabilities, specific learning disabilities, and other health impairments

The purpose of special education is to provide students with effective interventions in order to ensure they perform up to their potential while enrolled in school and are prepared upon exiting school. The current study aimed to examine and compare school-based interventions, and the behavioral and psychological functioning of students with emotional disabilities (ED), specific learning disabilities (SLD), and other health impairments (OHI) category. Using secondary summary data on students served under the ED, SLD, and OHI categories from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), this study used multiple significance tests to examine differences in interventions and functioning among students served under the three special education categories. The results indicated that students in the ED and OHI categories received significantly more behavioral interventions than their peers with SLD; students with ED received significantly more mental health interventions than their peers in the SLD and OHI categories; and students with ED, SLD, and OHI received similar rates of academic interventions. Findings also indicated that students with ED and OHI share similar behavioral profiles. Further research is needed to determine whether distinct behavioral profiles exist among students with ADHD served under the ED category and students with ADHD served under OHI.