THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILD CHARACTERISTICS AND PLACEMENT IN SPECIALIZED VERSUS INCLUSIVE EARLY-CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS

This study examined early childhood placement as a function of child c haracteristics in terms of chronological age, severity of disability, developmental status, functional abilities, and behavioral characteris tics. The study sample consisted of 162 children (69 in specialized pr ograms and 93 in inclusive settings) ranging in age from 11 to 102 mon ths (M= 47.5 months). Children were assessed on the Battelle Developme ntal Inventory (BDI), the ABILITIES Index, and the Carolina Record of Individual Behavior (CRIB). In general, children enrolled in inclusive programs were found to be more mildly disabled and functioning at hig her levels than their counterparts enrolled in programs designed exclu sively for children with disabilities. A discriminant function analysi s revealed that overall agreement between actual and predicted placeme nt based on child characteristics was 75%, suggesting that other facto rs may have affected placement decisions for some children. The intera ction between chronological age and type of placement was statisticall y significant for the BDI and approached significance for the CRIB. Im plications of these findings for future research are discussed.