Relationships between preschoolers' attitudes and play behaviors toward classmates with disabilities

This study examined the relationships between 32 typically developing preschoolers??? attitudes and play behaviors toward their classmates with disabilities or developmental delays. Children???s attitudes toward peers with disabilities were assessed using three different methods: child interviews, Sociometric Peer Ratings, and a Social Acceptance Scale. Children???s play behaviors (e.g., solitary, onlooker, parallel play, associative/cooperative play) and teachers??? involvement in children???s play were also observed during free play over a 10-week period. Results show that children???s identification of a classmate with an IEP as having a disability was negatively related to their associaitve/cooperative (AC) play with the classmate. Typically developing children???s sociometric ratings of classmates with disabilities were positively related to their AC play with the classmates with disabilities. In addition, children???s sociometric peer ratings were a stronger indicator of whether a typically developing child would play with a classmate with a disability than was identification of a classmate as having a disability. Suggestions for future research and implications for practices are discussed