An analysis of Social Behaviors among Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Preschool Children

Abstract

The social behaviors of seven handicapped and five nonhandicapped preschool children in an integrated classroom were systematically monitored in order to replicate and expand previous work which demonstrated the presence of social integration. The children were observed during free play using two observation systems which allowed for recordings of isolate, parallel, and cooperative play as well as more discrete units of social behavior (i.e., proximity, facing, touching, and speaking). The results corroborated previous findings that showed some level of interaction between handicapped and nonhandicapped children in over 50% of all nonisolate intervals. Both groups of children demonstrated a preference for interacting with similar peers, however, and the least social integration occurred within the most complex interaction categories. The results and observational systems are discussed in terms of their implications for teaching appropriate social interaction among integrated preschoolers.

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