Social support in inclusive middle schools: Perceptions of youth with learning disabilities

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined the perceptions of social support reported by middle-school students with multiple learning disabilities (LD) (reading + math) in inclusive settings. Comparison groups included youths with a learning disability in reading only (RD), mathematics only (MD), and no LD (i.e., normally achieving) (NA). One hundred twenty middle-school students, 15 boys and 15 girls in each group, were included in the current study. Participants were surveyed using an established measure of perceived social support. Effect size differences and MANOVA were used in the data analyses. Learning disability type explained 21% ( p < .001) of the variance in perceptions of parent, classmate, and friend support. Students with multiple LD (RD + MD) reported the lowest perceived social support on these dependent variables. Follow-up analyses revealed that eighth-grade boys reported the lowest perceived parent support and that boys in general reported lower perceived friend support than girls. Sixth-grade students with multiple LD reported the lowest perceived friend support, and sixth-grade males reported the lowest perceived teacher support. Implications for practicing school psychologists and recommendations for future research are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 197–209, 2006.