CORRELATES OF YOUNG CHILDRENS INTERACTIONS WITH CLASSMATES WITH DISABILITIES

Although including children with developmental disabilities in prescho ol classes has become increasingly common, little is known about how e xperiences in an inclusive classroom affect young children's developme nt, In Study 1, 36 typically developing children (mean age = 55.2 mont hs) attending an inclusive, university-based early childhood program w ere interviewed about their knowledge of and attitudes toward children with disabilities. Parents answered questions about: (a) expectations for their children's prosocial behaviors and (b) their own beliefs ab out interacting with children with disabilities. Parents' beliefs and children's attitudes toward children with disabilities were positively related to the frequency of children's actual contacts with classmate s with disabilities during free play time. In Study 2, the beliefs and behaviors of 20 children from an inclusive university-based early chi ldhood program and 18 children from an inclusive community-based progr am were compared. There was no difference between the two programs in the amount of contact typically developing children had with classmate s with disabilities.