Disparities in the school placement trajectories of students with intellectual disabilities.
Students labeled with ID slide into ever-more-separate settings as they age—check your district’s numbers now.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Snozzi et al. (2025) followed students who carry the intellectual disability label.
They tracked where these kids went to school each year and how many times the school moved them.
The study compared these paths to students with other special needs in the same districts.
What they found
Kids with the ID label spent more years in separate classrooms than peers with other needs.
As they got older, the gap grew wider and they were moved between schools more often.
The pattern showed increasing segregation rather than steady inclusion.
How this fits with other research
Lee et al. (2024) extends this picture. In England, kids with ID were less likely to receive the special-education plans that protect placement rights, especially in poorer areas.
Together the papers show a double hit: first, plans are harder to get, then separate rooms become the norm.
Bachrach et al. (2026) used a similar method in Israeli preschools. There, cognitive scores and irritability drove placement, not the autism label itself.
This contrast matters: when teams ignore label and look at skills, more kids stay in mainstream rooms.
Why it matters
If you serve students with ID, pull your district’s placement data by age and label.
Plot the trend lines. If you see the same widening gap, bring the charts to the next IEP meeting.
Ask the team to list the child’s actual supports before defaulting to a separate room.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) often require extensive support. They are more frequently placed in separate settings, such as special schools, than students with other special educational needs (SEN). Although school placements are intended to meet individual needs, they may also contribute to educational disparities. This study examines the placement trajectories of students with ID. METHODS: We analysed longitudinal data from 3227 students who received intensive SEN support in at least one school year by tracking their placements over 11 years. 18 % had an administrative ID label reflecting the student's primary educational support need. Using multinomial logistic regressions, we compared school placements and the number of placement transfers between students with and without the ID label. Sex and first language were included to assess for additional disparities. RESULTS: Students with the ID label were more likely to attend separate settings than those with other types of SEN, a trend that increased with age. Male students and those for whom German was their first language were more often schooled in separate settings. Male students also had higher odds of placement transfers. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights differences in school placement trajectories between students with the ID label and those with other types of SEN. Future research should explore the factors that influence placement decisions, including environmental and student characteristics.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2025.105110