Loneliness and coherence among preschool children with learning disabilities.

Abstract

This study investigated loneliness and coherence among Israeli preschool children with learning disabilities, in an attempt to identify the sources of social deficits before academic failure was established. The sample consisted of 187 preschool children divided into three groups: (a) 60 children at high risk for developing learning disabilities (LD) in six mainstreamed preschool settings (47 boys and 13 girls), (b) 76 nonhandicapped peers from the same preschools (56 boys and 20 girls), and (c) 51 children (38 boys and 13 girls) at high risk for developing LD who were regular students at 17 preschools and received special help in the afternoons outside their educational settings, at a regional learning center for students with LD. The research instruments consisted of the Children's Sense of Coherence Scale, the Loneliness Scale, a peer nomination procedure, and teachers' ratings. Two-way MANOVAs demonstrated that the two groups of children (Groups [A] and [C]) with LD and with a high risk for developing learning disabilities experienced higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of coherence. A subgroup examination revealed that they were less accepted by nondisabled peers and had less reciprocal nominations. Furthermore, their teachers viewed them as showing more maladjustment.