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Young children's attitudes toward peers with intellectual disabilities: effect of the type of school
- Authors:
- GEORGIADI Maria, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(6), November 2012, pp.531-541.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Inclusion of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools is now common practice in a variety of countries. Peer acceptance constitutes an important determinant of successful inclusion. The aim of this study was to explore typically developing children's attitudes towards peers with intellectual disabilities, with reference to the type of school they attended. The participants were 256 typically developing children aged 9–10. Approximately half (135) were in inclusive settings. The participants completed the Gash questionnaire on attitudes towards inclusion. They also drew a child with intellectual disabilities and commented on their drawings. The findings showed that typically developing children expressed overall neutral attitudes towards peers with intellectual disabilities. The type of school differentiated their attitudes, with children from inclusive settings being more positive towards peers with intellectual disabilities and choosing less negative adjectives to describe them than children from non-inclusive settings. Girls and students who expressed more positive social, emotional and overall attitudes towards students with intellectual disabilities chose more positive adjectives to describe a child with intellectual disabilities. It was also found that children from inclusive settings drew children with intellectual disabilities as more similar to a child with Down syndrome in comparison with children from non-inclusive settings.