Too early or too late? Transition to parenthood among former students with special educational needs

This is a study of transition to parenthood, one of the least-studied topics in disability research. More than 250 students with special educational needs are followed from their first year of upper secondary school into their mid-30s. Their transition into parenthood is analysed by logistic regression at two ages, at 23 years and at 36 years. Five antecedent covariates are used: gender, functional level, transition to upper secondary school, type of class and support in class. The analysis shows that early births are far more frequent among females than males, a pattern similar to that found in Norway 20 years ago. At the age of 36 there is no difference between men and women. However, the probability of childlessness is higher among those with low functional level, among those schooled in special classes and those with a teaching assistant. This pattern is more pronounced among women than among men.