Those girls who do get identified as ED tend to show externalizing behaviors. Outcomes Girls in special education tend to do better than boys in school environments, e.g. they receive better grades, graduate at higher rates. However, once they are out of school, boys are more likely to be employed, have higher wages, work more hours, and are more likely to enroll in post secondary education or training. Advocates can also point out cases where gender seems to be a factor, e.g. female students with emotional impairments who are overlooked, or male students with behavior problems who have been wrongly identified as having learning disabilities. Often behavior problems can be solved successfully outside of special education with the right interventions.
Advocates can also point out policies which appear to result in gender discrimination.
All civil rights violations should be reported to the appropriate state and federal civil rights enforcement agencies. The information in this article is based solely on the OSEP report, the IDEA statute and its regulations, except for the section on the advocates role. In California, one of the nations largest school districts, Los Angeles Unified School District, was sued in a class action law suit regarding the over-identification of African American students as mentally retarded. As part of the resolution of that case, Los Angles stopped using IQ tests to determine eligibility for special education. These links are provided as a public service only.