The Frequency and Severity of Psychiatric Disorders in Special Education and Psychiatric Programs

Abstract

This study used checklists to compare conduct, hyperactivity, and emotional disorders and classroom environments in 13 social adjustment classes, 3 day treatment programs, and a psychiatric out-patient program. As expected, all disorders were more frequent in all settings than in the general population. Emotional disorders were more frequent and more severe in day treatment than in other settings. Interrater correlations were good for Ontario Child Health Study teacher checklist disorder scores and there was good agreement between them and DSM III psychiatric diagnoses. This study has demonstrated that reliable and valid instruments are available to characterize the children and classroom environments across these programs. These instruments could be used to study reasons for referrals to special education and psychiatric treatment, agreement among professions in classroom perceptions, and interactions between classroom characteristics and behavior. Also, they may be useful in future studies of the effectiveness of day treatment and special education programs.