Preschoolers' reasons for accepting peers with and without disabilities

Abstract

Little is known about preschoolers' reasons for wanting or not wanting to interact with age peers with disabilities. This question was examined in two studies using different methods. In Study 1, preschoolers ranked their preferences and provided reasons for wanting to play with one of three Playmobil figures presented with scripts representing a typically developing child, one with an orthopedic impairment, and one with cognitive impairment. In Study 2, while viewing photographs, preschoolers explained their reasons for playmate preferences for classmates with and without disabilities. Results from Study 1 indicated that preschoolers preferred to play with and made more positive comments about the typical child than the other two. Findings for Study 2 showed that preschoolers made more liking comments about same gender typical children. Females made disliking comments about males with and without disabilities, whom they considered aggressive. Males made disliking comments about males with disabilities whom they perceived as aggressive. Results from these two studies suggest that views of preschool classmates with disabilities may not always be positive; therefore, interventions, such as cooperative activities, may be necessary to enhance the positive effects of inclusion.