Social participation of students with special educational needs (SEN) is a key issue in the inclusion debate. However, the meaning of concepts like social integration, social inclusion and social participation used in current literature is often unclear. Recently, these concepts were clarified based on preschool and primary school literature. The…

The purpose of this study is to identify the requirements for the success of the integration program and to find out the causes of success and to provide optimal services for the students with disabilities in regular schools. The study attempts to answer the following questions: (1) What are the most important requirements of the success of the…

This digest defines students with severe handicaps, documents the benefits of integrating students with severe disabilities into regular classrooms, and outlines procedures for facilitating integration. It notes some issues associated with access and scheduling, areas in which additional support might be needed, ways to incorporate information…

Reviews research on social integration of special needs children into regular preschool programs. Techniques used to facilitate integration are reassessed. Suggestions for teacher promotion of social integration are provided. (RJC)

The case study of an integrated preschool classroom with six disabled children and six nondisabled peers found that structural changes in the environment of the classroom were essential for the development of positive social interactions among the children. (Author/JDD)

This study with 39 secondary students with severe disabilities integrated into regular programs in either home schools or cluster programs found that the proportion of students residing outside the normal school boundaries and the percent of students classified as Severely Multiply Handicapped were both negatively associated with both in-school…

This article describes 4 studies on the interaction between 22 pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD) and their mainstream peers. The studies do not substantiate the view that children with SLD experience more interaction during brief regular periods of integration than they experience in the special school environment. (JDD)

Many deaf students become perennial "outsiders," never really becoming an integral part of their mainstream classrooms. Factors contributing to this may include family dynamics, teacher attitudes, and lack of interactions between deaf and hearing children. Parents can promote their child's integration, through accessing home, school, and community…

The study examined perceptions of issues associated with inclusive education of 437 parents from a midwestern state in the United States who have a child with a mild, moderate, or severe disability. Parents responded to a modified form of the Opinions Related to Mainstreaming (ORM) Scale (Antonak & Larrivee, 1995) and provided additional…

The central purpose of mainstreaming is to integrate handicapped students with nonhandicapped peers. It is the teacher's responsibility to foster positive and constructive interactions between handicapped students and their peers. Three ways of organizing constructive peer interaction are: (1) cooperation; (2) competition; and (3) an…

Although children with moderate to significant disabilities participate in regular education, they often attend a school outside their own neighborhood, thereby limiting the effects of mainstreaming. The La Grange Area (Illinois) Department of Special Education has experimented with various learning strategies to facilitate inclusion and imparts…

This study of three high school students with severe disabilities in regular education classes found that regular class participation was an important source for meeting peers without disabilities who subsequently became members of students' social networks. Perceived quality of social contacts was not dependent on initial contact being made…

This study of the patterns of contact among 12 students (ages 4-17) with deaf-blindness and their nondisabled age peers at school revealed that students engaged in slightly less than 90 minutes per day in social contact. Many students with deaf-blindness were not developing stable (repeating) contacts with any of their peers. (Author/JDD)

This study examined pupils' knowledge of and feelings about mental handicap, through interviews with second year students in a British comprehensive school and a questionnaire survey of 179 students. Results indicated that girls felt that disabled persons were capable of benefiting from integration, whereas boys' attitudes were more ambiguous.…