Adugna Desalegn

Professor: Dr. Khadijah Miller

INT 470-90-142A

Date 2/8/2018

Article Evaluation Assignment

The main purpose of this article study was to explore the social experience of
preschoolers with severe disabilities in an inclusive early education setting (Hanline
& Correa-Torres, 2012). This study is significant in that it will show that students
with severe disabilities are more apt to be ostracized by their peers. Because the
federal mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and No Child Left
Behind, school aged children with severe disabilities have a right to be educated
with their nondisabled peers and to have access to the general education
curriculum (Hanline & Correa-Torres, 2012). In this study, the setting was an
inclusive classroom of preschoolers with severe disabilities and some without any
disabilities at all. The desired result for students and their families was to have a
sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships,
along with development and learning to reach their full potential (Hanline & CorreaTorres, 2012).

The participants for this study consisted of four teachers, four

paraprofessionals, and ten preschoolers. Of the ten preschoolers, three had severe
disabilities and seven had no disabilities at all. The severe disabilities ranged from
support for mobility, communication, self-care, completing routines such as hand
washing and adult attention to engage in play activities for longer than several
seconds (Hanline & Correa-Torres, 2012).

The primary method of data collection for this qualitative study came from
interviews and observations of the social interactions of the children with severe
disabilities in the inclusive setting. The seven non-disabled students were divided
into two groups, while one author acted as the interviewer and the other as the
video recorder. They asked the children probing questions about which they played
with and what they did. Further observations of Nick, Laura and John (disabled
students), took place as these students participated in their daily routines to answer
research questions related to the nature of social interactions and the strategies
used to facilitate peer-peer interaction. The analyses of these observations were
based on the following interview questions: 1) the activities in which the peers
engaged in with friends without disabilities and 2) the activities in which the peer
engaged with Nick, Laura and John (Hanline& Correa-Torres, 2012).

The results showed the majority of social interactions with Nick, Laura and John
came from the adults with assistance, help (verbal/nonverbal), play-based activities,
transitions and structured small and large group activities.

Reference

Hanline, M.F. & Correa-Torres, S.M. Experiences of Preschoolers with Severe

Disabilities in an Inclusive Early Education Setting: A Qualitative Study. Education
and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 2012, 47(1), 109-121