Citation

File N. Early Child Res. Q. 1994; 9(2): 223-240.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0885-2006(94)90007-8

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Children with disabilities and developing typically who were enrolled in integrated early childhood programs were observed during free play. The purpose of the study was to examine the cognitive and social complexity of their play and their interactions with teachers. Also, teacher beliefs about children's social development and their role in these processes were examined. Classroom observations revealed that teachers were more directive in facilitating the cognitive play of children with disabilities than the typically developing children, in spite of the similarity they displayed in mean cognitive play level. However, teacher-child interactions focused on support of children's social play were relatively rare and similar for both groups of children, despite differences in mean social play level for the two groups. Teachers were much more likely to support the cognitive aspects of children's play than the social aspects of it, a pattern observed in both groups, despite teachers' beliefs that children with disabilities lagged behind their typically developing peers in the acquisition of social skills.