Self-concept and peer acceptance in students with learning disabilities: A four- to five-year prospective study.

This 4- to 5-year prospective study examined the peer relations and self-concepts of students prior to and following their identification by the school district as learning disabled (LD). Self-concept ratings (kindergarten through 4th grade) and peer acceptance ratings (kindergarten through 3rd grade), as well as academic achievement scores, were comapred across 3 groups : LD students who were placed in resource special education programs during 2nd grade, low-achieving (LA) students, and average-achieving/high-achieving (AA/HA) students. For peer acceptance, AA/HA students' scores were higher than LA students' scores only. No between-groups differences were obtained during any school year on the self-concept measure