Kindergarten Prevalence of Children with Special Needs in Ontario and Developmental Health Outcomes at School Entry and Grade 3

Abstract

Background: One in every nine school-age children in Ontario has special needs (SN) as a result of developmental disorders, however, the distribution of SN is unequal among schools. This prompted a group level exploration of the developmental health outcomes of typically developing children in schools with SN children. Methods: This study uses data from the Early Development Instrument (EDI; kindergarten measure of child development), administered in Ontario between 2010-2012, and neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) from the 2006 Canadian Census to examine associations between school SN prevalence and typically developing children’s development. Relationships between school SN prevalence and developmental health in those schools were explored in Grade 3 using Education, Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) tests. Findings: Kindergarten multivariable regression model showed that school SN prevalence was associated with school level kindergarten vulnerability rates after controlling for SES and demographic factors. However, school SN prevalence was not a significant predictor of school performance in Grade 3 reading, writing and math test scores. Our exploration revealed that school kindergarten vulnerability rate, which was itself associated with the school prevalence of children with SN, was a stronger predictor of school Grade 3 academic outcomes than school SN prevalence after controlling for demographic and SES factors. Conclusions: This study provides a snapshot of population level inequalities in child health outcomes by demonstrating associations between school SN prevalence and kindergarten vulnerability, and kindergarten vulnerability and Grade 3 achievement. These findings further emphasize the importance of adequate early intervention programs in schools, and appropriate resource allocation for the health outcomes of typically developing children.