Types and correlates of school absenteeism among students with intellectual disability

Abstract

Background It appears that students with intellectual disability (ID) are more frequently absent from school compared with students without ID. The objective of the current study was to estimate the frequency of absence among students with ID and the reasons for absence. Potential reasons included the attendance problems referred to as school refusal, where absence is related to emotional distress; truancy, where absence is concealed from parents; school exclusion, where absence is instigated by the school; and school withdrawal, where absence is initiated by parents. Methods Study participants were 629 parents (84.6% mothers) of Australian school students (Mage = 11.18 years; 1.8% Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) with an ID. Participants completed a questionnaire battery that included the School Non‐Attendance ChecKlist via which parents indicated the reason their child was absent for each day or half‐day absence their child had over the past 20 school days. The absence data presented to parents had been retrieved from school records. Results Across all students, absence occurred on 7.9% of the past 20 school days. In terms of school attendance problems as defined in existing literature, school withdrawal accounted for 11.1% of absences and school refusal for 5.3% of absences. Students were also absent for other reasons, most commonly illness (32.0%) and appointments (24.2%). Of students with more than one absence (n = 217; 34.5%), about half were absent for more than one reason. Students attending mainstream schools had lower attendance than those attending special schools. Conclusions Students with ID were absent for a range of reasons and often for multiple reasons. There were elevated rates of school withdrawal and school refusal. Understanding the reasons for absenteeism can inform targeted prevention and intervention supports.

The Unlearning of School Attendance: Ideas for Change

“…LeBoeuf et al (2023) explored the relationship between school type -Montessori or non-Montessori -and chronic absenteeism, as well as racial disparities in chronic absenteeism across the two school types, while attempting to account for the characteristics of families who self-select into Montessori schools. In this way, the researchers addressed micro-, meso-, and exosystem influences on attendance and absence.…”

“…LeBoeuf et al (2023) explored chronic absenteeism in learners from Montessori and non-Montessori schools, focusing on low-income schools and racial disparities in absence. These two foci were motivated by prior research showing higher absence rates in low-income schools, higher absence among Black and Hispanic learners relative to White learners, higher rates of suspension among colored learners relative to White learners, and higher proportions of Black and Hispanic learners in low-income schools.…”

The association between home learning during COVID‐19 lockdowns and subsequent school attendance among children with neurodevelopmental conditions

“…There is increasing attention to school attendance among autistic children (Adams, 2021; Munkhaugen et al, 2019), autistic children with/out an intellectual disability (Black & Zablotsky, 2018; Totsika et al, 2020) and children with an intellectual disability with/out autism (Melvin et al, 2022). School attendance is a complex phenomenon, and school attendance problems are associated with numerous factors across various systems (Melvin et al, 2019).…”

“…School attendance is a complex phenomenon, and school attendance problems are associated with numerous factors across various systems (Melvin et al, 2019). Research has focused mostly on factors within and across the micro‐ or meso‐system, such as the child (e.g., age; Totsika et al, 2020), the family (e.g., socioeconomic circumstances; Adams, 2021; Melvin et al, 2022; Totsika et al, 2020) or the school (e.g., mainstream or special school; Munkhaugen et al, 2017; Totsika et al, 2020). Our research understanding of macrosystem factors (e.g., government policies on school attendance) is limited.…”

“…The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between learning location during school closures in the first months of 2021 and subsequent school absenteeism in children with neurodevelopmental conditions in the United Kingdom. In addition to overall absenteeism, we also considered school refusal, which has been reported to be among the most frequent types of absence in children with neurodevelopmental conditions (Adams, 2021; Melvin et al, 2022; Totsika et al, 2020).…”