Using Computers to Increase the Social Interactions of Preschoolers with Disabilities at Community-based Sites

Abstract

Integrated programs promote social skill development for children with disabilities. Environments promoting social interactions between children are necessary to facilitate such development. The following study demonstrates that the combination of two environments, the community-based preschool classroom and the computer, results in an increase in positive peer-to-peer interactions, higher social participation, and more verbal initiations by children with disabilities.

Social interactions of young children with disabilities were measured while using computers with nondisabled peers. A rotating “focal-child” observation system was used to study the effect, of interventions on five children with disabilities within the mainstreamed preschool setting. Four specific behaviors were scored during interactions using interval recordings. An intrasubject replication design was employed within a multiple treatment reversal form. Results support the validity of the computer procedures as ones which enhance social interaction rates of young children with disabilities. The implications of these findings are discussed.