Head Start Impact on Socio-Emotional Outcomes for Children with Disabilities: Number of Disabilities, Individual Educational Plan and Supplemental Security Income

Purpose:  Head Start programs served 135,914 children with identified disabilities during the 2012-2013 year, which is 12.1% of the total number of children enrolled.  The majority of children with diagnosed disabilities are reported to have either speech/language disabilities (75%) or cognitive impairments (25%). Twenty-six percent of children identified have multiple disabilities, fourteen percent have a behavioral or emotional impairment, nine percent have a sensory impairment and eight percent have a physical impairment. Each child with a disability within the program must have an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) based on each child’s strength in the least restrictive environment. Many children with disabilities qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, which is a means-tested program. The purpose of the current study is to examine Head Start impact on socio-emotional outcomes for children with disabilities. Specific questions were: 1) whether number of disabilities, the status of IEP and the receipt of SSI affects socio-emotional outcomes for children with disabilities, 2) whether Head Start enrollment affects children’s socio-emotional scores measured at aged 5-6, and 3) whether Head Start effects differ depending on number of disabilities, the status of IEP and SSI, and other baseline variables.

Methods:  The present study used the Head Start Impact data (HSIS) collected for the period of 2002-2006 (n = 4442, control group = 1796, HS group = 2646). At ages 3-4 (at Head Start enrollment), 570 children (12.7%) were reported to have disabilities. Among children who had disabilities (n = 570), children were divided into 3 groups: children who had no disability diagnosed by a doctor, those who had 1 disability, and those who had multiple disabilities.  Whether children have received individualized education plan and supplemental security income were measured.  When children were 5-6 years old, socio-emotional outcomes were measured by 5 instruments (4 by parents [Social skills and positive approaches to learning, total problem behavior of children, child-parent relationship scores, and social competencies checklist] and 1 by teacher [child-teacher relationship scores]).  Several Steps of ordinary Regression analyses were conducted for children’s socio-emotional outcomes to examine the research questions.

Results:   This study found that children who had multiple disabilities diagnosed by a doctor, who had received IEP, and who had received SSI had lower socio-emotional scores than others.  No main effect of Head Start was found for socio-emotional outcomes for children with disabilities.  However, children who had no disabilities diagnosed by a doctor, children who had never received IEP, children living in a higher income, or black children had higher socio-emotional outcomes when they participated in Head Start. Children’s gender, maternal education, family income, pre-academic skills were associated with socio-emotional scores for children with disabilities.

Conclusions and Implications:  Head Start was more effective to enhance socio-emotional outcomes for children with disabilities who had fewer risk factors.  It needs a further investigation whether eligible children receive appropriate services and how social workers are involved in this process.  Head Start should continue to enhance socio-emotional outcomes to provide a program based on children’s disabilities, strengths, empowerment, natural environments and cultural sensitivity.