Disabled students and the quality of relationships within the class

Abstract

An investigation of the quality of peer relationships of disabled students within regular classes was conducted. A total of 496 students participated in the study, 40 of which disabled, enrolled in 27 public elementary and middle schools. The students filled in the “Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Scale” (Asher, 1984) and responded to three questions of a sociometric test. Disabled students significantly felt lonelier in class compared to the students with no disability. They were also often rejected or left out during play activities, and probably due to the rejection experienced in class, over the years disabled students increasingly expect rejection from their peers.