{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T18:48:06Z","timestamp":1775155686973,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775088000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Students classified under Other Health Impairment (OHI), a category that includes Attention-Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), are frequently disciplined in school settings despite ADHD being classified as a neurodevelopmental rather than a behavioral disorder. This study examined patterns of disciplinary removal among students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B, focusing on comparisons between OHI and Emotional Disturbance (ED). Using publicly available IDEA Part B discipline data, a descriptive longitudinal analysis was conducted across three academic years (2019\u20132020, 2020\u20132021, and 2021\u20132022). Percentage-based indicators were analyzed to examine the proportion of students ages 3\u201321 subject to disciplinary removal by disability category and state. Across all three years, students classified under OHI experienced disciplinary removal at rates comparable to, and in many states exceeding, those of students classified under ED. These patterns persisted despite year-to-year variation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings are interpreted through IDEA procedural safeguards and DSM-5 diagnostic frameworks, highlighting a potential misalignment between neurodevelopmental disability classification and behavioral support provision. The study discusses how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) may reduce disciplinary risk through proactive design, while emphasizing that individualized behavioral interventions, including Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans, remain legally required when behavior is a manifestation of disability.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0346338","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T17:49:18Z","timestamp":1775152158000},"page":"e0346338","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Disciplinary removal patterns among students with other health impairments and emotional disturbance: A three-year descriptive analysis of IDEA Part B data"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9938-9030","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Melissa","family":"Beck Wells","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0346338.ref001","volume-title":"Individuals with Disabilities Education Act"},{"key":"pone.0346338.ref002","volume-title":"Assistance to States for the Education of Children with Disabilities"},{"key":"pone.0346338.ref003","volume-title":"34 C.F.R. \u00a7 300.324(a)(2)(i)"},{"key":"pone.0346338.ref004","volume-title":"4.34 C.F.R. \u00a7 300.530(d)(1)(ii)","year":"2023"},{"key":"pone.0346338.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.books.9780890425787","volume-title":"Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders","author":"American Psychiatric Association","year":"2022","edition":"5"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0346338.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"39","DOI":"10.14434\/josotl.v16i3.19295","article-title":"Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A content analysis of peer reviewed journals from 2012 to 2015","volume":"16","author":"A Al-Azawei","year":"2016","journal-title":"JoSoTL"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0346338.ref007","first-page":"61","article-title":"Opportunity in crisis: The role of universal design for learning in educational redesign","volume":"43","author":"JD Basham","year":"2020","journal-title":"Learning Disability Quarterly"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0346338.ref008","first-page":"775","article-title":"Universal design for learning and teacher education: a systematic review","volume":"24","author":"D McGhie-Richmond","year":"2020","journal-title":"International Journal of Inclusive Education"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0346338.ref009","first-page":"3","article-title":"A review of research on universal design for learning","volume":"29","author":"K Rao","year":"2021","journal-title":"Exceptionality"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0346338.ref010","first-page":"223","article-title":"Supporting self-regulation through universal design for learning","volume":"37","author":"SG Daley","year":"2022","journal-title":"Journal of Special Education Technology"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0346338","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T17:49:21Z","timestamp":1775152161000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0346338"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Omid","family":"Beiki","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]]},"references-count":10,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0346338","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]]}}}