The potential of music-making to foster an individual's social development has been widely explored. The objective of this review is twofold: (1) to examine the characteristics of group music-making initiatives aimed at promoting social skills; and (2) to analyse the impact that group music-making initiatives have on people's social development.…

A study attempted to develop an instrument for assessing social integration of ethnic groups in the classroom. Sociometric questionnaires were used to ask second-grade students to choose classmates whose company they most preferred. Preliminary findings indicate that gender is a more divisive factor within the classroom than ethnicity. (JN)

Reviews the literature on instruction emphasizing social awareness as opposed to specific social skills for adolescents with mental retardation. Social competence is defined and discussed in terms of appropriate social behavior in work environments. Instructional approaches such as cognitive process approaches and community-based instructional…

A review of 33 studies in which mainstreamed or included students with deafness were compared to another group found that hearing students were more socially mature than deaf included students, deaf students and their deaf classmates interacted more, and deaf students were somewhat accepted by hearing classmates. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Social interaction skills are an important part of leisure behavior. Many people with disabilities and/or illness lack adequate social interaction skills and require direct intervention. The article provides a background and explanation of social competence and a listing of commercially available resources for social skills intervention. (SM)

This article introduces three papers about research projects of the Early Childhood Research Institute of the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). The papers address peer-mediated strategies to promote communicative interaction, social behavior in preschoolers with special needs, and the importance of parents as intervention agents. (JDD)

Functional curricula are intended to facilitate the development of age-appropriate skills that are essential for participation of individuals with autism within a diversity of integrated environments. When one is considering which skills to teach, the longitudinal process of promoting increased independence throughout life must be considered, and…

This monograph presents a brief review of the literature on integrating students with disabilities into mainstream educational programs. It begins by clarifying such terms as normalization, least restrictive environment, mainstreaming, and integration. It offers a historical perspective with a Canadian emphasis. The research on efficacy of…

This literature review considers research dealing with social skills instruction for handicapped preschool children in a mainstreamed or integrated setting. It offers a literature-based rationale for preschool mainstreaming, notes the fundamental objectives of preschool mainstreaming that relate to the process of socialization, and addresses the…

The concept of social representations, which was developed by Moscovici in 1984, suggests new ways of understanding the social processes that underlie communication between individuals. A social representation is a set of concepts, statements, and explanations originating in daily life in the course of inter-individual communication. The purpose…

This document reviews information and research findings regarding various options to facilitate the full inclusion of students with disabilities. Principles of inclusive schools introduce the document. Three categories of strategies and interventions for working with students with disabilities are included: (1) program strategies, (2) classroom…