Disproportionate Representation of Asian Students in Special Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature

The disproportionate representation of students of color in special education is a critical issue within the field. To date, however, this issue has been positioned primarily through a Black–White binary. This review contended that Asian American students in the school system have been relatively ignored in terms of representation within special education. The current review aimed to recognize existing rationales for the over- or underidentification of Asian American students within special education. Using search criteria combinations of “Asian American” and “special education” and “disproportionality,” a total of 15 studies were included in this review. These studies indicated the prevalence of over- and underrepresentation of Asian American students for some special education categories. Importantly, the systematic search revealed that a gap still exists in scholarly work related to the disproportionate representation of Asian Americans within special education, particularly as it relates to Asian American student perspectives. The potential cultural implications for Asian American students, their teachers, and future research are emphasized.