Being born with or acquiring a disability or chronic condition in early childhood influence the chances of completing an education in adulthood. We analyse changes in educational outcomes over two decades for six diagnostic groups, comparing them with a nationally representative sample. Our overarching questions are: to what extent do gaps in participation rates exist, and can we observe a narrowing in the gap in education participation for cohorts born between 1977 and 1995?

A child’s gender as well as parental education are influential predictors of educational outcomes. We address the intersection between diagnostic condition, gender and parental educational background on educational outcomes. Does parental background contribute more to the educational success of children with disabilities and chronic conditions? And to what extent can gaps in educational outcomes be accounted for by gender?

A characteristic of Norway as well as other western societies during the last decades is a general expansion in education, including tertiary education (Thompson 2019). In addition, since the late 1970s, inclusive education had been legally and politically mandated. The expansion involves resources, as well as time spent in school. From 1990 to 2008, the total teaching time in Norwegian schools increased drastically. A focus on “early effort” and reading, writing and arithmetic skills imply longer days in school. Norway also experienced a major growth in special education from the early 2000s. The share of children receiving special education increased from 2 percent in 2002 to 8 percent in 2008. The growth in special education in part reflect an overall heightened awareness of the situation of disabled children. Legislative efforts and acts, such as universal access to school-buildings and other measures, reveal intentions from central authorities to “level the playing field”.

In the period of investigation, medical and technical advances may enable individuals with specific diagnostic conditions to be in a better position to benefit from education. In the Curriculum from 1997, the deaf were for the first time given the right to education in sign language as their first language, and an increasing number of cochlear implants are in use in Norway. Better and more effective medication to control diabetes and asthma are now available, and new information technologies can assist children with sensory limitations. Use of social media and other digital platforms for educational purposes can counter the limitations of not being physically present.

However, other changes in the period may increase the risk of further marginalization within the educational system for children with disabilities and chronic conditions. In a meritocratic society, success in the educational system may have an increasing influence on the chances of success in adult life in terms of employment status, occupational attainment, and earnings. In a situation with heightened competition within the educational system, children with disabilities and chronic conditions may be increasingly at risk. A number of studies suggest that a process of social exclusion is going on, following placement in segregated school settings within ordinary schools as well as special schools (De Bruin 2020). Contrary to officially stated policy objectives in Norway, local municipalities and schools continue a practice of segregating children with outside of ordinary classroom education. In higher education, financial assistance intended to compensate for the constraints faced by students with disabilities have been also cut back.

The population under investigation was identified through an official register that included recipients of compensatory cash benefits (N=9844). In Norway, families with a child with a disability or a chronic disease may apply for public income support to compensate for expenses related to the severity of the disease. Such benefits are granted by the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Service [NAV]. To be entitled to a benefit, the child must suffer from a chronic condition, even after an adequate treatment-program is established. Six diagnostic conditions were identified in the register as of 1995. Diabetes and Asthma represent the category ´Somatic conditions´, and ´Disabilities´ include sensory losses related to sight and hearing, in addition to physical disabilities (Cerebral palsy the most frequent) and Downs syndrome. The data were merged with registers from Statistics Norway. The population of investigation also include a random population sample for comparative purposes (N=30 000), born in the same period. We defined four different birth cohorts (born 1977-81, 1982-1986, 1987-91, 1992-95), measuring differences in educational outcomes using multivariate regression analysis. We define two different educational outcomes; - The completion of lower tertiary education for 25-year-olds. - The completion of upper secondary education for 21-year-olds.

What can we expect from the Norwegian educational system with respect to its capacity to equalize the life-chances of different groups in society? The ratio of students to teaching staff in primary to tertiary public institutions in Norway is the lowest of all countries in the OECD-area (OECD 2016). Previous research suggest that the social gap in higher education participation has narrowed substantially in Norway (Thomsen et al. 2017). With free secondary schooling, generous financing opportunities for tertiary education available for everyone, and a general commitment to egalitarian values, a development toward greater equality that also include groups with disabilities and chronic conditions can be expected. As commented, several contextual developments during the last decades support this expectation. To date, there is little evidence on the longitudinal effects of having a disability or chronic disease on educational success, although some exceptions exist (Cox and Marshall 2020; Koivusilta et al. 2022). A number of cross-sectional studies have documented the relationship between disability, chronic disease and educational achievement (Maslow et al. 2011; Shandra and Hogan 2009; Yoder and Cantrell 2019). Provisional results suggest that consistent gaps in education outcomes prevail throughout the period of investigation. If anything, a widening could be observed toward the end of the period. The gaps are evident for children with chronic conditions, but more striking for children with disabilities. Robust associations between gender, parental education and educational outcomes could be observed in all the analyses. Nonetheless, neither gender nor parental background could account for the observed gaps in educational outcomes.

Cox, Fiona M, and Alan D Marshall. 2020. "Educational engagement, expectation and attainment of children with disabilities: Evidence from the Scottish Longitudinal Study." British Educational Research Journal 46 (1):222-246. De Bruin, Kate. 2020. "Does inclusion work?" In Inclusive education for the 21st century, 55-76. Routledge. Koivusilta, Leena, Riittakerttu Kaltiala, Anna Myöhänen, Risto Hotulainen, and Arja Rimpelä. 2022. "A Chronic Disease in Adolescence and Selection to an Educational Path—A Longitudinal Study." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (21):14407. Maslow, Gary R, Abigail Haydon, Annie-Laurie McRee, Carol A Ford, and Carolyn T Halpern. 2011. "Growing up with a chronic illness: social success, educational/vocational distress." Journal of Adolescent Health 49 (2):206-212. OECD. 2016. Norway. Shandra, Carrie L, and Dennis P Hogan. 2009. "The educational attainment process among adolescents with disabilities and children of parents with disabilities." International Journal of Disability, Development and Education 56 (4):363-379. Thompson, Ron. 2019. Education, inequality and social class: Expansion and stratification in educational opportunity: Routledge. Thomsen, Jens-Peter, Emil Bertilsson, Tobias Dalberg, Juha Hedman, and Håvard Helland. 2017. "Higher education participation in the Nordic countries 1985–2010—a comparative perspective." European Sociological Review 33 (1):98-111. Yoder, Claire L McKinley, and Mary Ann Cantrell. 2019. "Childhood disability and educational outcomes: a systematic review." Journal of pediatric nursing 45:37-50.