The social relationships of students with intellectual disabilities in inclusive classrooms

Abstract

Social relationships with peers are very important for the development of all children. However , studies show that learners with special educational needs have greater difficulties in forming social relationships with peers than their classmates. However, research data and findings for children with intellectual disabilities (ID) are sparse. The present study investigates the social relationships of 7-to 8-year-old children with ID (n = 35) in inclusive classrooms (first to third year) over the course of one school year. Compared to a sample of matched same-sex classmates without ID with similar social skills (n = 35), the children with ID were less frequently named as playmates and had fewer reciprocal relationships at the end of the school year. There were no differences between children with and without ID in terms of nominations given, reciprocal relationships at the beginning of the school year and stable relationships. The results thus indicate that children with ID and without ID with comparable social skills had a similar number of stable relationships. However, children with ID formed fewer reciprocal relationships than their peers with similar social skills. Both children with IB and children without ID maintained stable reciprocal relationships mostly with same-sex peers (n = 26) who had significantly higher social skills. These findings provide important evidence for the development of strategies to promote social interactions and relationships in inclusive classrooms.