Eighteen handicapped and six nonhandicapped preschool children were observed during free play time. Children engaged in social behavior more often when playing with toys classified as social toys compared to isolate toys, and the incidence of social play was higher in integrated groups than in nonintegrated groups. (Author/JDD)

A cognitive, nonintrusive method of controlling head-rocking behavior in an 11-year-old blind subject involved having the boy place his hand on his cheek or chin when prompted that he was rocking his head. The subject demonstrated significant decreases in head rocking during intervention and generalization during followup. (Author/JDD)

Describes a social science curriculum, "Amazing Discoveries," which meets the needs of middle school students with learning disabilities for social skills intervention, is appropriate for all students and fits in with the mandated social science curriculum. The curriculum includes 28 experiments and demonstrations that teach principles of social…

A code to systematically observe preschool settings in which handicapped children were placed was designed to determine the types of interaction and play behavior that occurs in these settings. The code records the following information: play area the child is in, how many children are in the same area, the play behavior the child is undertaking,…

This study examined the strategies teachers use to promote social play in a mainstreamed early childhood program that included five children with special needs and five nonhandicapped peers. Results indicated that teachers can successfully facilitate peer play through initiation of play, participation in group play, elaboration of group play, and…

Normal children (average age 11, n=25) and multiply disabled children (aged 9-15, n=8) were integrated in physical education classes, emphasizing work with disabled-normal dyads. Girls were more willing than boys to accept disabled children into their groups, but during individual activities, boys were less reticent about making physical contact.…

The study compared the effects of different play conditions (microcomputer, remote-control robot, or no toys) on the amount of time four dyads of handicapped/nonhandicapped children would interact during structured play. Results suggested that microcomputers may serve as social facilitators for children with significant social and language…

This module (part of a series of 24 modules) is on teachers' use of systematic observation records of social behavior to aid in assessing students' special needs and in evaluating the effects of specific programs. The genesis of these materials is in the 10 "clusters of capabilities," outlined in the paper, "A Common Body of…

Phase I of this study sought to identify the specific social skills that 21 teachers of students with serious emotional disturbances (SED) and nine regular education teachers deemed as essential for successful classroom functioning. Subjects were asked to list such behaviors in four categories: environmental behaviors, interpersonal behaviors,…

This study of 55 elementary-level general, special, and remedial education teachers found no intergroup differences in perceptions of the amount or quality of assistance available for mainstreamed students with mild handicaps, or in perceived effectiveness or overall acceptability of eight instructional strategies and 11 social behavior…

This study involving three autistic and four nondisabled preschool children found that a peer-initiation intervention produced increases in peer initiations and social interactions when the teacher verbally prompted, but not without verbal prompts. When a correspondence training/visual feedback package was implemented, peer initiations and social…

The interactions of three dyads, consisting of one student with moderate mental retardation and one nondisabled peer, were assessed while playing computer games. Results indicated that students (ages 13-14) exhibited more frequent social initiations, higher degrees of game satisfaction, and equal/higher degrees of peer satisfaction while playing…

In this study an observation schedule was developed and used to compare activities and behavior of 77 New Zealand children with disabilities who had been mainstreamed into special groups within preschools and play centers and 77 non-disabled peers. The development of the schedule is described, results are given, and advice is offered to…

This document contains two curriculum guides, the first dealing with accountability skills and the second with social skills. The guides are products of project GOAL (Guidance Opportunities for Affective Learning), a program intended to meet the social/emotional needs of handicapped mainstreamed students in grades K-6 by improving classroom…

Many teachers have negative attitudes towards mainstreaming handicapped students. This study examines an intervention teaching method and teachers' attitudes. Results indicate that regardless of treatment, student teachers' attitudes will change in the direction of their classroom teachers' attitude. (JS)