Evaluating Preschool Children's Sensitivity to Developmental Differences in Their Peers

Abstract

Two studies were conducted using an adaptation of Harter and Pike's (1984) Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children. The scale was used to explore preschool children's sensitivity to disabilities in their peers. In the first study, children between 3.5 years and 5.5 years of age used this measure to rate their older and younger classmates' cognitive, language, and physical competence, and peer acceptance. Construct validity and test-retest reliability were psychometrically acceptable. In a second study, this measure was used to explore the ways in which preschool children without disabilities think about the skills of their classmates with disabilities. As a group, children with disabilities were viewed as less competent on developmental tasks than their classmates without disabilities. However, different patterns of competence ratings emerged for children with different disabilities. Although additional research is required to validate the utility of this measure, these data provide preliminary evidence that this instrument may prove useful in identifying the cues that young children use as they are developing an understanding of their peers' capabilities.