Placement of young students with developmental disabilities exiting public special education preschool programs in New Mexico: An exploratory study of administrative/demographic correlates

Few efficacy studies have examined post-preschool placements for early childhood special education preschool graduates. The purpose of this study was to conduct a longitudinal study to (a) examine initial and current educational placement of preschool children identified as developmentally disabled who have graduated from public special education preschools and (b) explore factors related to those placement decisions.;Three research questions were addressed: (a) What educational placement decisions are made for students with developmental disabilities upon graduation from public special education preschools? (b) What factors are related to the initial placement decision for students with developmental disabilities who have graduated from public special education preschools? (c) What factors are related to a change in the initial placement decision made for students with developmental disabilities who have graduated from public special education preschool programs?;Data were collected on 1,238 New Mexico subjects and a subsample of 53 subjects. Data collected for the New Mexico population included the following: (a) gender, (b) ethnicity, (c) preschool handicapping condition, (d) total years of early intervention, (e) type of special education preschool, and (f) type of district. Additional variables examined in the subsample included the following: (a) IQ score, (b) adaptive behavior rating, (c) socioeconomic status, (d) parent's occupation, and (e) parent's educational level.;For the New Mexico population, data indicated that 9% were initially placed in regular education, 39% in regular education with support, and 46% in special education. Stability for these data ranged from 76% to 94%. The most powerful predictor in determining initial placement was severity of handicapping condition. Other predictor variables of placement included type of preschool program and district.;Data for the subsample indicated that 11% of the preschool graduates were initially placed in regular education, 21% in regular education with support, and 68% in special education. Stability for these data was also very high.;Recommendations are provided for school personnel and future research.