[[alternative]]Social Functioning of Young Children with Developmental Delays in Inclusive Education Environment

[[abstract]]Social Functioning of Young Children with Developmental Delays in Inclusive Education Environment ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to investigate the social functioning of young children with developmental delays and possible contributing factors in inclusive education environment. The study was approached with quantitative and qualitative methods. Perceptions of 414 teachers in 100 daycare centers and kindergartens in Taipei City were collected to identify important social behaviors for classroom functioning. The result was taken to develop the Social Competence Scale for Young Children(SCSYC). A sample of 348 normal children and 131 children with various handicaps was used to examine the reliability and validity of the SCSYC. Besides, the researcher conducted an in-depth qualitative study of three children with Down's syndrome in an inclusive classroom for about 7 months to investigate their social functioning and possible environmental influence. Teachers rated compliance and learning behaviors more important than interpersonal interaction and personal autonomy. Extroverted behaviors were rated as the least tolerable, followed by inattentive/ hyperactive behaviors and introverted behaviors. Eight factors were derived from the SCSYC，good to acceptable reliability and validity evidence was obtained in the study. Children with developmental delays performed significantly poorer than normal children on the five adaptive scales on SCSYC, and they had more inattentive/hyperactive and introverted behavior problems. The two groups did not differ significantly on severity of extroverted behavior problems. The scale was also shown to discriminate children with different backgrounds including sex, age, family socioeconomic status, birth order, and number of siblings. The three subjects with Down's syndrome exhibited social skill deficits and maladaptive behaviors. Their initiative behaviors were characteristics of those of younger children, consisting mainly of approaching , observing , showing off and joining peer's play. More complicated interactions such as praising, showing affection, leading play, sharing objects were rarely observed. They had difficulties in cooperative symbolic play, and their responses to peers' initiation were often inappropriate. The three subjects all had problems attending in large group activities；besides, the two boys had aggressive and disobedient problem behaviors too. Peer sociometric status of the subjects differed and factors other than social competency were suspected to have impact on peer social status. Multiple factors within the realm of the individual, peer , teacher, settings, school, and family were proposed to influence the social functioning of young children with developmental delays. Implications for the findings were discussed as to their significance in social skill development and social competence assessment and intervention in inclusive education environment.