Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Incidence of Specific Learning Disability

Authors

• Nora Nevarez, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• Ralph Carlson, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• John Lowdermilk, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• Paul Sale, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

This quantitative study examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), operationalized as child poverty levels, and the incidence of specific learning disability (SLD) using simple linear regression. Data were aggregated from publicly available Texas state databases across the 20 Texas Education Service Centers (ESCs). Analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between poverty rates and SLD placement rates ( 𝑅=.90, 𝑅²=.81, 𝑝< .01), indicating that poverty explained 81% of the variance in SLD identification. The null hypothesis was rejected. Findings suggest higher poverty levels are strongly associated with increased SLD placement rates. Implications for educational policy, resource allocation, trauma-informed practices, and future research are discussed. Limitations include reliance on state-specific aggregate data and a cross-sectional design.

Comments

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Nevarez, N., Carlson, R., Lowdermilk, J., & Sale, P. (2026). Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Incidence of Specific Learning Disability. National Social Science Association Proceedings, 64(1), 15–28.

First Page

15

Last Page

28

Publication Title

National Social Science Association Proceedings