Students with special needs: state of the nation

This presentation draws key findings from three nation-wide, federally funded, research projects conducted in Australia over the last six years. It brings together data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, the KidsMatter Primary for Students with a Disability, which was a side-project of the KidsMatter Primary Evaluation, and preliminary data from the KidsMatter Early Childhood Evaluation. In all three projects, children’s disability status was collected, along with parent/caregiver assessment of children’s mental health as being ‘normal’, ‘borderline’, or ‘abnormal’ according to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Differences in mental health status due to age and extent of disability, touching on the notion of co-morbidity, are considered. It raises issues around better supporting students with a disability and of the potential for whole-school mental health promotion initiatives, such as KidsMatter, to provide new opportunities to better support all young children and student s with disabilities, whether identified or unrecognised.