Table 1
Percentage of Children Ages 3 to 17 Reported to Have Ever Been Diagnosed by a School or Health Professional as Having a Learning Disability, 1997-2004
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Total	7.81	7.5	7.2	7.9	7.7	8.1	7.5	8.0
Gender
Male	10.11	9.5	9.8	9.9	9.7	10.1	9.2	9.5
Female	5.31	5.4	4.5	5.7	5.5	6.0	5.6	6.4
Race and Hispanic origin2
White, non-Hispanic	8.51	7.5	7.6	8.3	7.8	8.5	8.0	8.5
Black, non-Hispanic	7.61	9.7	7.7	9.2	9.0	10.7	7.6	9.6
Hispanic	5.71	6.1	5.5	6.1	6.5	5.8	6.1	5.6
Non-Hispanic other	4.11	4.1	5.1	4.2	5.3	3.2	4.8	4.8
Age group
Ages 3-4	1.81	2.7	1.1	2.3	1.5	1.0	2.0	2.5
Ages 5-11	7.21	6.6	6.9	7.4	7.4	8.0	7.1	7.4
Ages 12-17	10.51	10.2	9.6	10.3	10.0	10.5	9.6	10.5
Poverty Status
At or above poverty	-	6.9	6.8	8.0	7.3	7.5	7.6	7.9
Below poverty	-	11.4	11.9	10.7	12.6	14.1	9.7	11.3
Family Structure3
2 parents with biological/adoptive child(ren) only	-3	-3	4.9	6.0	5.7	-
Parent, step-parent and child(ren) only	-3	-3	9.4	10.0	9.0	-
Single parent and biological or non-biological child(ren) only	-3	-3	11.3	11.3	11.0	-
Extended family, including one or more parents	-3	-3	8.3	8.6	9.0	-
Parental Education3
Some high school or less	-	10.3	9.1	11.1	9.6	10.5	9.1	7.9
High school graduate/ GED or equivalent recipient	-	7.8	8.0	8.8	8.6	9.7	8.0	9.0
Some college, no degree/AA degree	-	7.6	7.8	7.8	8.4	8.3	8.5	9.0
Bachelor's degree or higher	-	5.2	4.9	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.1	6.0
Insurance Coverage
Private insurance4	-	6.1	5.9	6.4	6.5	6.7	6.3	6.7
Public insurance5	-	15.8	14.1	14.8	14.0	12.9	11.1	12.2
Not insured	-	6.1	5.8	7.3	6.3	7.2	7.8	6.2
Usual source of health care6
No usual source	-	6.5	7.0	8.6	8.7	11.1	6.9	6.2
Usual source	-	7.6	7.2	7.8	7.6	7.9	7.5	8.1
Welfare/TANF
At least one family member received income from welfare/TANF	-	14.0	14.4	14.5	16.9	15.0	15.0	16.3
No one in family received income from welfare/TANF	-	6.9	6.6	7.5	7.2	7.8	7.2	7.6
Food Stamps
At least one family member authorized to receive food stamps	-	12.2	13.2	12.8	15.6	14.3	12.3	12.4
No one in family authorized to receive food stamps	-	6.7	6.4	7.3	6.7	7.3	6.8	7.3
1Data from Bloom B, and Tonthat L. Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Children: National Health Interview Survey, 1997 Vital Health Stat 10(203). 2002.
2Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
3Family structure data for 1997 and 1998 are incompatible with later data and are therefore not included.
3 Parental education reflects the education level of the most educated parent in the child's household.
4Children with both public and private insurance are placed in the private insurance category.
5As defined here, public health insurance for children consists mostly of MEDICAID or other public assistance programs, including State plans. It does not include children with only Medicare or the Civilian Health and Medical Care Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS/CHAMP-VA/Tricare).
6Excludes emergency rooms as a usual source of care.
Source: Except where otherwise noted, original analysis by Child Trends of National Health Interview Survey data 1998-2004.