I noticed the trend not long after I started my assignment as a parent representative monitoring special education systems. A large percentage of children who were assigned the classification label of EBD (emotional/behavior disorder) or ED (emotional disorder) were foster or adoptive children. The trend was true in my daughter's class as well. She was in a self-contained EBD classroom where the numbers were always small (usually 5-6 students) and over the last three years, at least 1-2 other students in her class were either foster or adopted children.

Well, here's a web seminar that confirms my observations: Meeting the Special Education Needs of Children in Foster Care. This seminar, jointly sponsored by Chapin Hall Center for Children and the National Conference of State Legilatures, statistically documents the trend toward so many foster children having an ED or EBD classification (about 33%, compared with 2% of the rest of the population.)

Senior Research at Chapin Hall, Cheryl Smithgall,has provided some interesting research into this phenomenon. Her study of foster children in the Chicago Public School System show a high percentage of children classified as ED are high school dropouts (over 50%) and that over 40% of the foster children ages 6-10 classified as ED violate the school's discipline code, resulting in disciplinary actions. Even more sobering -- in a given academic year, about 1/3rd of foster children classified as ED have what the researchers defined as a "disruptive incident" -- running away, detained in a juvenile facility or hospitalized -- further disrupting their education.

Another interesting statistic is the dramatic increase in foster children being labeled as ED -- a rise from 6% to 18% in less than 10 years! The disproportionate numbers start at a young age -- 1 in 5 children in foster care is classified as ED; where only 1-2% of the general school population is.

Ms. Smithgall presented some interesting findings that are extremely paradoxical:

1. Students were more likely to enter foster care after receiving an ED classification.
2. Students were more likely to receive an ED classification after entering foster care.
3. Students were less likely to have their ED classification removed if they were in foster care.
4. Students were less likely to exit foster care if they have the ED classification.

This last one means that children classified as ED were less likely to be either reunified with their families OR adopted.

Talk about a bleak picture!

One of the major points of the seminar is to encourage child welfare agencies and the public school system to work together. All the panelists presented information on the contradictions between the two entities, and the significant issues this can cause/exacerbate for a foster child.

I can only echo this cry - and emphatically state that foster parents should be well-educated in special education systems and IDEA, especially the portions that pertain to disciplinary actions and emotional/behavior disorders.

If others' situations mimic ours, parents (foster, adoptive or otherwise) should realize that children classified as ED or EBD may also have learning disabilities and other special education needs as well. And regardless of the child's classification, if they have other educational difficulties that are identified, they must be serviced. School systems have a difficult time serving emotional disordered children. Foster children are often at a disadvantage when it comes to having a strong advocate, so foster parents, CASA workers, and others in the child welfare system need to be both willing and able to step into the role of advocate for these children.

For more information about this study, check out Behavior Problems and Educational Disruptions Among Children in Out-of-Home Care in Chicago.