Peer interactions and sociometric status of high school students with moderate or severe disabilities in general education classrooms

We examined the social status of six high school students with moderate or severe disabilities in general education cooking classes and compared their social inter action behaviors with those of peers without disabilities. Th e peers without disabilities who participated were selected from an "averag e" group based on peer nomination sociometric assessments. Results showed t hat the social status of the students with disabilities varied. Although no participating students with disabilities were classified as "popular" amon g their peers, the majority of the participating students with disabilities obtained "average" social status ratings. Results also indicated that stud ents with disabilities were involved in fewer social interactions, inter-ac ted with peers without disabilities slightly more often than with adults, a nd were more often passive participants in interactions. Future studies sho uld examine peer inter-actions and peer acceptance of students with moder-a re or severe disabilities in more academic classes, as well as factors that impact their social status and social relationships in inclusive environme nts.