The History of Lead Exposure and Special Education: A Systematic Review

Lead exposure in children can lead to brain damage with harmful side effects for child development. Despite knowledge of lead’s harmful effects, children in the United States continue to be exposed. This can result in children being identified with a variety of disabilities and eligibility for special education. Students exposed to lead attend U.S. public schools daily, yet little modern research in the field discusses this topic. To better understand the history of the discussion of lead exposure in special education research, we conducted a systematic literature review of all articles in selected journals mentioning lead. This resulted in 101 included articles. We identified articles as having substantial or less substantial lead-related content and analyzed the discussion of lead within these articles. We discuss common themes in the literature and gaps in current research and policy with the hope of drawing attention to this serious issue for a modern audience.