Cumulative risk effects for the development of behaviour difficulties in children and adolescents with special educational needs and disabilities

What is it about?

This is the first piece of research to explore the cumulative risk effects for developing behaviour problems specifically among children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It is unique in its focus on targeting the number rather than specific nature of risks, providing a viable alternative route to assessing the need for intervention.

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Why is it important?

Behaviour difficulties have been an area of international concern in education for a number of decades. Young people with SEND (who constitute up to 20% of the school population in England) are more likely to experience behaviour difficulties than their peers, making the non-linear relationship between the number of risks and behaviour difficulties of great salience to both behaviour and SEND research. Multi-level modelling using a large, nationally representative (>4200) sample permitted detailed analyses to be conducted using a wide range of established risk factors at different ecological levels (individual and school).