Disabled children, especially those who do not use formally recognized methods of communication, are acknowledged to be at risk of social exclusion (Priestley, 2003; Rabiee et al., 2005b), within their daily lives (Sharma, 2002; Watson et al., 1999), and within research (Davis et al., 2000). This research methods article reflects on the author's use of participant observation as a way of ensuring inclusivity in a project that sought to discover the nature of the peer culture of children with learning disabilities visiting specialist social care services. The author explores the achievement of a `leastadult' role (Mandell, 1991; Mishna et al., 2004) in order to gain the trust and participation of the children within highly regulated and supervised settings. The article will also briefly consider the resulting data, which provided a rich contextual account of the nature of children's cultural activity that successfully included all the children observed.
Audit Commission (2003) Services for Disabled Children: A Review of Services for Disabled Children and their Families. London: Audit Commission .
2.
Caldwell, P. (1996) Getting in Touch: Ways of Working with People with Severe Learning Disabilities and Extensive Support Needs. Brighton: Pavillion, for Joseph Rowntree Foundation .
3.
Children Act 2004. London: HMSO.
4.
Christensen, P. and James, A. (2000) Research with Children: Perspectives and Practices . London: Falmer Press.
5.
Cocks, A. (2005) `The Peer Groups of Children with Learning Impairments' , in D. Goodley and G. Van Hove (eds) Another Disability Studies Reader?, pp. 73-92. Antwerp: Garant Publishers.
6.
Cocks, A. (2006) `The Ethical Maze: Finding an Inclusive Path Towards Gaining Children's Agreement to Research Participation', Childhood13(2): 247-66.
7.
Coenan, H. (1986) `A Silent World of Movements: Interactional Processes among Deaf Children', in J.Cook-Gumperz, W. Corsaro and J. Streeck (eds) Children's Worlds and Children's Language, pp. 253-85. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
8.
Corker, M. and Davis, J. (2000) `Disabled Children: (Still) Invisible under the Law', in J. Cooper and S. Vernon (eds) Disability and the Law, pp. 217-37. London: Jessica Kingsley.
9.
Corsaro, W. (1985) Friendship and Peer Culture in the Early Years . Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
10.
Corsaro, W. (1997) The Sociology of Childhood. London: Sage.
11.
Davis, J.M., Watson, N. and Cunningham-Burley, S. (2000) `Learning the Lives of Disabled Children: Developing a Reflexive Approach', in P. Christensen and A.James (eds) Conducting Research with Children, pp. 201-24. London : Falmer.
12.
DfES (2006) `Survey of Children and Young People Receiving Personal Social Services in England Aged 10-17: 2004-05', http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000622/index.shtml (consulted Apr. 2006).
13.
Fraser, S.,Lewis, V.,Ding, S.,Kellett, M. and Robinson, C. (eds) (2004) Doing Research with Children and Young People . London: Sage.
14.
Graue, M.E. and Walsh, D.J. (1998) Studying Children in Context. London: Sage.
15.
Green, G. and Hogan, D. (eds) (2005) Researching Children's Experiences . London: Sage.
16.
Grieg, A. and J. Taylor (1999) Doing Research with Children. London: Sage.
17.
Heugten, V. (2004) `Managing Insider Research: Learning from Experience' , Qualitative Social Work3(2): 203-19.
18.
Hubert, J. (1991) Home Bound: Crises in the Care of People with Severe Learning Disabilities. London: Kings Fund Centre/Blackwell.
19.
James, A.J.C. and Prout, A. (1998) Theorising Childhood. Cambridge : Polity Press.
20.
Lewis, A. and Lindsay, G. (2000) Researching Children's Perspectives. Buckingham: Open University Press.
21.
Mandell, N. (1991) `The Least-Adult Role in Studying Children', in F. Waksler (ed.) Studying the Social Worlds of Children, pp. 38-59. London: Falmer Press.
22.
Mason, J. (1996) Qualitative Researching. London : Sage.
23.
Mishna, F., Antle, B. and Regehr, C. (2004) `Tapping the Perspectives of Children: Emerging Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research', Qualitative Social Work3(4): 449-68.
24.
Morris, J. (1995) Gone Missing: A Research and Policy Review of Disabled Children Living Away from their Families. London: The Who Cares? Trust.
25.
Morris, J. (1998a) Still Missing?: Volume 1 The Experience of Disabled Children Living Away from Home. London: The Who Cares? Trust.
26.
Morris, J. (1998b) Still Missing?: Volume 2 Disabled Children and the Children Act. London: The Who Cares? Trust.
27.
Morris, J. (1998c) Don't Leave Us Out: Involving Disabled Children and Young People with Communication Impairments. York: York Publishing Services for JRF.
28.
Morris, J. (2003) `Including All Children: Finding out about the Experiences of Children with Communication and/or Cognitive Impairments', Children and Society17(5): 337-48.
29.
Priestley, M. (2003) Disability: A Life Course Approach. Cambridge: Polity Press.
30.
Priestley, M., Corker, M. and Watson, N. (1999) `Unfinished Business: Disabled Children and Disability Identities', Disability Studies Quarterly19(2): 90-98.
31.
Rabiee, P., Sloper, P. and Beresford, B. (2005a) `Doing Research with Children and Young People who Do not Use Speech for Communication', Children & Society19: 385-96.
32.
Rabiee, P., Sloper, P. and Beresford, B. (2005b) `Desired Outcomes for Children and Young People with Complex Health Care Needs, and Children who do not use Speech for Communication' , Health & Social Care in the Community13(5): 478-87.
33.
Redmond, M. (2005) `Co-researching with Adults with Learning Disabilities' , Qualitative Social Work4(1): 75-86.
34.
Robinson, C. (1996) `Breaks for Disabled Children: Developments in Short-Term Care', in K. Stalker (ed.) Breaks and Opportunities, pp. 83-94. London: Jessica Kingsley.
35.
Robinson, C. and Stalker, K. (1993) `Patterns of Provision in Respite Care and the Children Act', British Journal of Social Work23(1): 45-63.
36.
Robinson, C., Weston, C. and Minkes, J. (1995) Making Progress: Change and Development in Services to Disabled Children under the Children Act 1989. Bristol : Norah Fry.
37.
Shah, R. (1995) The Silent Minority: Children with Disabilities in Asian Families. London: National Children's Bureau.
38.
Sharma, N. (2002) Still Missing Out?: Ending Poverty and Social Exclusion Messages to Government from Families with Disabled Children. Ilford: Barnardo's.
39.
Stalker, K. (1996) Developments in Short-term Care: Breaks and Opportunities . London: Jessica Kingsley.
40.
Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research. London: Sage.
41.
Triangle/NSPCC (2001) Two-way Street: Training Video and Handbook on Communicating with Children who do not use Speech and Language. Leicester: NSPCC.
42.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1991) http://www.unicef.org/crc/crc.htm (consulted Oct. 2003).
43.
Waksler, F.C. (1996) The Little Trials of Childhood and Children's Strategies for Dealing with Them. London: Falmer Press.
44.
Ward, L. (1997) Seen and Heard: Involving Disabled Children and Young People in Research and Development Projects. York : York Publishing Services for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
45.
Ward, L. (1998) `Funding for Change: Translating Emancipatory Disability Research from Theory into Practice', in C. Barnes and G. Mercer (eds) Doing Disability Research, pp. 32-48. Leeds: The Disability Press.
46.
Watson, N., Shakespeare, T., Cunningham Burley, S., Barnes, C., Corker, M., Davis, J. and Priestley, M. (1999) Life as a Disabled Child: A Qualitative Study of Young People's Experiences and Perspectives. Edinburgh and Leeds: Universities of Edinburgh and Leeds.
