Profiles of Asian American students with LD at initial referral, assessment, and placement in special education

Although Asian American students are underrepresented in special education, recent studies have highlighted concerns about the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of the identification and placement process. This study ex amined the characteristics of Asian American elementary students with learn ing disabilities (LD) in a school district in the Southwest that was select ed because it served the largest number of Asian American students with LD in the state. Due to the small numbers of students served, the sample inclu ded all Asian American students with LD in Grades K to 5 (N = 26). Variable s of interest included students' demographic characteristics, factors assoc iated with referral, assessment practices and student profiles, and instruc tional recommendations for special education services. The results suggest that the experiences of Asian American students with LD are similar to thos e of Mexican American students with LD reported in earlier studies. These f indings also reflect the challenges faced by educators in providing appropr iate educational services for language minority students.