The types of disabilities typically diagnosed for children around Wisconsin exhibit distinct disparities by race, complicating efforts by educators to help kids learn in an environment where time and resources are at a premium.
Rachel Fish, a sociology professor at New York University, researches disparities by gender and race in special education. In research that focused on Wisconsin public school students that was published in July 2022, Fish found that white children are more likely to be diagnosed with “high-status” disabilities like Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder, known as ADHD, while children of color are more often diagnosed with “low-status” disabilities, primarily other behavior disorders.
