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Australian Children with Special Health Care Needs: Social-Emotional and Learning Competencies in the Early Years

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Abstract

This study examined the relationship between special health care needs and social-emotional and learning competence in the early years, reporting on two waves of data from the Kindergarten Cohort of Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Six hundred and fifty children were identified through the two-question Special Health Care Needs Screener as having special health care needs. Children with special health care needs were more likely to be male, to have been of low birth weight, to be taking prescription medications, to be diagnosed with a specific health condition and to be from families where the mother was less well educated. These children scored significantly lower on teacher-rated social-emotional and learning competencies prior to school compared to a control group of children without special health care needs. Multiple regression analyses indicated that being identified with a special health care need prior to school predicted lower social-emotional and learning competencies in the early years of school. Results are discussed in terms of the implications for policy and practice.

Résumé

Cette étude examine le lien entre les besoins particuliers en matière de santé et les compétences socio-émotionnelles et l’apprentissage durant la petite enfance, en présentant les résultats de deux vagues de données provenant de la cohorte maternelle de l’étude « Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children » . Le questionnaire (deux questions) sur les besoins particuliers en soins de santé (Special Health Care Needs Screener) a permis d’identifier six cent cinquante enfants nécessitant des soins de santé particuliers. Ces enfants étaient plus susceptibles d’être de sexe masculin, d’avoir un faible poids de naissance, de prendre des médicaments sous ordonnance, d’avoir un problème de santé diagnostiqué et de provenir de familles où la mère est moins instruite. Leurs compétences socio-émotionnelles et d’apprentissage évaluées par les enseignants, avant l’entrée à l’école, étaient nettement moins élevées que celles du groupe témoin composé d’enfants n’ayant pas besoin de soins de santé particuliers. Les analyses de régression multiple indiquent qu’être identifié comme ayant des besoins de santé particuliers avant l’entrée à l’école est prédictif de compétences socio-émotionnelles et d’apprentissage plus faibles dans les premières années d’école. L’article analyse les résultats par rapport à leur implication en matière de politiques et de pratique.

Resumen

Este estudio examinó la relación entre las necesidades especiales de salud y la competencia socio-emocional y de aprendizaje durante los primeros años, presentando informes sobre dos conjuntos de datos de la Cohorte de Kindergarten del estudio Creciendo en Australia: Un Estudio Longitudinal de los Niños Australianos. A través de la Prueba de Necesidades Especiales de Salud, se identificaron seiscientos cincuenta niños con necesidades especiales de salud. Era más probable, de acuerdo a la prueba, que los niños con necesidades especiales de salud fueran por lo general, varones, con bajo peso al nacer, que estuvieran tomando medicamentos por prescripción médica, que se les hubiere diagnosticado algún problema específico de salud y que procedieran de familias donde la madre tiene un menor nivel educativo. Estos niños obtuvieron una puntuación significativamente menor en las evaluaciones sobre las competencias socio-emocionales y de aprendizaje, hechas por profesores previo a su ingreso a la escuela, en comparación con un grupo control de niños sin necesidades especiales de salud. Los análisis de regresión múltiple indicaron que el ser identificado con una necesidad especial de salud en etapas previas a la etapa escolar pronostica una menor competencia socio-emocional y de aprendizaje durante los primeros años de escuela. Los resultados se analizan en términos de sus implicaciones para la definición de políticas y la práctica

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Notes

  1. Soloff C et al. (2005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Chrystal Whiteford, Sue Walker & Donna Berthelsen

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  1. Chrystal Whiteford
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  2. Sue Walker
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Correspondence to Chrystal Whiteford.

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Whiteford, C., Walker, S. & Berthelsen, D. Australian Children with Special Health Care Needs: Social-Emotional and Learning Competencies in the Early Years. IJEC 45, 35–50 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-012-0066-x

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