One expectation of inclusive practices is that meaningful social relationships will form between children with and without special needs as they become familiar with one another in early childhood settings . This expectation that social integration will occur with respect to children's peer relationships and friendships seems reasonable because inclusive practices emphasize principles and values that seek to maximize respect for individual differences in developIt, ensure equal access, and foster a sense of .,belonging to a common community (Guralnick, 1978(Guralnick, , 1990 . Ideally, we would hope that inclusive early childhood programs would be characterized by children's willingness to understand, go beyond, accept, and even overlook developmental differences, unusual behavior patterns, or certain physical characteristics of their peers, and establish productive social relationships . To support the development of these positive relationships between children with and without special needs, the programmatic design of quality early childhood settings should exemplify inclusive principles and values by promoting full participation of all children in social and nonsocial activities, and by adapting and accommodating to children's special needs.In view of the importance of what is certainly a core issue in our field, the degree to which the