Social Experiences of Children With Disabilities in Inclusive Portuguese Preschool Settings

Abstract

Based on peer sociometric reports, we examined how number of friendships, social acceptance, and characteristics of social networks vary as a function of disability profile. We also investigated teachers' awareness of the sociometric status of young children with disabilities.Participants were 86 children with disabilities (63 boys) enrolled in inclusive preschool classrooms from the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, Portugal (Mage = 67.33 months, SD = 10.54).Findings suggest children with severe or socio-behavioral disabilities may be at increased risk for social rejection and isolation, having fewer friends and lower social network centrality than children with mild disabilities. Low agreement between teachers' classifications of the social status of children with disabilities and classifications based on peer nominations raises concerns about their awareness of processes of social rejection and neglect. Findings highlight the need for interventions to support positive social experiences at the dyadic and group levels in Portuguese inclusive preschool classrooms.

Okul öncesi bütünleştirme uygulamalarında özel gereksinimli ve tipik gelişen çocukların sosyal kabulleri: Boylamsal bir çalışma

“…Results showed that children without SN had higher social acceptance levels than their peers with SN on both fall and spring semesters. These findings are consistent with the results of the similar studies in the literature (Bakkaloğlu, Sucuoğlu, & Özbek, 2019;Buysse, Goldman, & Skinner, 2002;Ferreira et. al., 2017;Keane & Calkins, 2004;Koster, Pijl, Nakken, & Van Houten-van den Bosch, 2010;Mand, 2007;van der Wilt, van der Veen, van Kruistum, & van Oers 2019).…”

“…In our country, children with SN mostly start their education life in preschools within the scope of inclusion. Although different dimensions of inclusive education in preschools and primary schools have been examined (Aguiar, Moiteioro, & Pimentel, 2010;Baydık & Bakkaloğlu, 2009;Ferreira, Aguiar, Correia, Fialho, & Pimentel, 2017), it has not yet been examined whether attending inclusive preschools causes changes in the social acceptance of children with and without SN. Social acceptance of children with SN by their TD peers is an important variable both for achieving the positive effects expected from inclusion and supporting the development of children with SN.…”

Evaluation of Physical Fitness for Students with Mentally impaired Aged 10-12 years in Poso Regency, Sulawesi Tengah Province, Indonesia

“…Improving physical fitness of children with special needs needs to be increased in doing physical activities and sports, therefore it takes an important role for adaptive physical education teachers in schools to increase physical activity and develop social relations in mentally disabled children and students in general (Ferreira, 2017)adaptive physical education teachers have a role important in improving the basic motion and mental health of retarded children through physical activity of students with modification games that are easy to do and generate excitement for students to improve physical fitness (Sumaryanti, 2013). Adaptive physical education teachers can design learning models according to the growth and development of children mental retardation in extraordinary elementary schools (Mansur, 2017).…”

Learning, Social, and Psychological Outcomes of Students with Moderate, Severe, and Complex Disabilities in Inclusive Education: A Systematic Review

“…In order to select the results relevant to our target group, we took into account the information provided by the studies on the severity of the disability. Only one study (Dessemontet, Bless, & Morin, 2012) referred to standardised measures (IQ), while three other studies (de Graaf & de Graaf, 2016;de Graaf & van Hove, 2015;Ferreira, Aguiar, Correia, Fialho, & Pimentel, 2017) reported measures derived from non-standardised instruments (e.g. Abilities Index declared by teachers, IQ reported by parents, IQ in different areas declared by parents and teachers).…”

“…Looking at results around social interactions, three main topics emerged. Studies took into account the relationships between students with MSCD and their peers, such as contact during class activities (Ballard & Dymond, 2016;Feldman et al, 2016), friendships (Ballard & Dymond, 2016;Feldman et al, 2016;Ferreira et al, 2017;Harkins, 2013;Naraian, 2011;Olsson et al, 2018;Potter, 2014), and social acceptance by peers (Huck et al, 2010;Leyser & Kirk, 2011;Tuersley-Dixon & Frederickson, 2016), and teachers (Harkins, 2013). Feldman et al (2016) looked carefully at the opportunities for interaction during class activities between students with disabilities and their peers.…”