Abstract

This study analyzes the enrollment of students from 3 to 5 years 11 months, with a diagnosis of Specific Language Impairment (SLI), who attend special language schools in the Valparaíso Region, the Metropolitan Region and the Biobío Region of Chile, over a period of 14 years. The aim is to determine the enrollment trend for boys and girls and the relationship between the enrollment of boys and girls diagnosed with SLI, from 2004 to 2017, based on statistical information gathered from the Ministry of Education of Chile (MINEDUC). For the statistical analysis, the “tau” of the Mann-Kendall test is used to correlate the enrollment per year of boys and girls and enrollment of the total group. The sample corresponds to 374 schools that meet the series length requirement. The results showed a growing and favorable trend in girls ‘enrollment over time in statistical terms, and a decreasing trend in boys’ enrollment. The implications of the findings are discussed.