Citation

Diamond KE. Early Child Res. Q. 1994; 9(2): 195-205.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0885-2006(94)90005-1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Preschool programs that include children with disabilities are becoming increasingly common. We know relatively little, however, about the effect of participation in an integrated classroom on children's understanding of disability. In the current study, normally developing preschool children's perceptions of the social competence of peers with and without disabilities were examined. Subjects were 26 children enrolled in two integrated preschool classes. Each class included six preschool children with mild-to-severe developmental disabilities. Measures of children's acceptance of their classmates and their use of different strategies for solving hypothetical social problems were obtained in individual interviews in the fall and spring of the school year. Children's suggestions of prosocial strategies for hypothetical peers with disabilities were related to changes in their perceptions of their classmates with disabilities.