Paddy C. Favazza

Promoting Positive Attitudes of Kindergarten-Age Children toward People with Disabilities:

This study examined the effects of contact, books, and discussions on the attitudes of kindergarten-age children toward people with disabilities. Children in the high-contact group participated in a program designed to promote acceptance of people with disabilities; the low-contact group had incidental contact with children with disabilities; the no-contact group had neither direct nor indirect contact with children with disabilities. At pretest, all participants had low levels of acceptance of people with disabilities. At posttest, significant gains in levels of acceptance were found only in the high-contact group. The program appears to be an effective strategy for promoting acceptance of people with disabilities.

Relative Effects of Interventions Supporting the Social Competence of Young Children with Disabilities

This study compared the effects of different intervention approaches designed to promote peer-related social competence of young children with disabilities. Preschool-age children with disabilities who were enrolled in classes in Tennessee and Minnesota participated in four intervention conditions (environmental arrangements, child specific, peer mediated, and comprehensive) and a control (no intervention) condition. A performance-based assessment of social competence, which consisted of observational, teacher rating, and peer rating measures, was collected before and after the interventions and again the following school year. Analyses revealed that the peer-mediated condition had the greatest and most sustained effect on childrens participation in social interaction and on the quality of interaction, with the child-specific condition also having a strong effect. The environmental arrangements condition had the strongest effect on peer ratings. These findings indicate that there are effective intervention approaches available for children who have needs related to social competence and that different types of interventions may be useful for addressing different goals (e.g., social skills or social acceptance) of individual children.

Measuring and Promoting Acceptance of Young Children with Disabilities

The results of two studies are presented: (a) an examination of the reliability of the Acceptance Scale for Kindergartners with a sample of non-Caucasian, low socioeconomic status (SES) children, and (b) the efficacy of an intervention designed to promote acceptance of young children with disabilities with this new sample. Results indicate that the Acceptance Scale for Kindergarten—Revised is reliable and that various components of a special friends intervention yield differential results. Specifically, results indicate that children exposed to individual components of the intervention had short-term gains in acceptance of individuals with disabilities, while children exposed to the whole intervention had short-term and long-term gains in acceptance. Exposure to the whole program is more effective than any of the individual components in producing greater changes in levels of acceptance of young children with disabilities.

A Cross-Cultural Examination of Typically Developing Children's Attitudes toward Individuals with Special Needs.

This study explores childrens attitudes toward individuals with special needs in Greece and in the United States. A total of 196 kindergarten‐age children participated in the study. Childrens attitudes were examined using the Acceptance Scale for Kindergartners‐Revised (ASK‐R) and were further explored with the use of an open‐ended interview. In addition, the Inventory of Disability Representation (IDR) was used to collect information about how individuals with special needs are represented in school and classroom environments through books, displays, materials and curriculum. The results indicated that children in Greece and the United States were accepting of individuals with special needs. Also, children attending inclusive kindergartens held more positive attitudes when compared with children attending non‐inclusive kindergartens. Results from the interviews provided further information that contributes to the understanding of childrens perceptions of people with special needs and the reasons why children become more or less favourably disposed towards individuals with special needs. Finally, IDR results indicated that the classrooms in Greece had low representations of individuals with special needs compared with US classrooms, which had moderate and high representations of individuals with disabilities in the classroom and school environments.

Use of the Acceptance Scale to Measure Attitudes of Kindergarten-Age Children

The Acceptance Scale for Kindergartners (ASK) was developed to assess the attitudes of kindergarten-age children toward children with disabilities. It was administered to 188 kindergarten children, some of whom had contact with children with disabilities in their school and others of whom did not have contact. The ASK provided evidence of criterion-related validity by discriminating (a) between children who did and did not have contact with children with disabilities in their schools and (b) between male and female respondents. Children who had contact with individuals with disabilities were significantly more accepting than children who did not. Girls were significantly more accepting than boys. An overall alpha coefficient of .79 and a Spearman-Brown Split Half coefficient of .76 were found, suggesting that the ASK is reliable for children of this age.

Teacher Perceptions of Two Multi-Component Interventions: Disability Awareness and Science

This study investigated teachers’ perspectives about two interventions designed to promote kindergarteners’ attitudes toward peers with disabilities. Interviews with teachers were conducted following the 6-week interventions. Teachers shared views on the best and most difficult aspects of the interventions, perceived benefits for teachers and children, and suggestions for improving the interventions. Teachers’ responses were analyzed using content analysis. One salient teacher-reported benefit was notable improvement in social skills made by all students. Moreover, students in the experimental condition displayed increased acceptance of peers with disabilities, whereas teachers reported becoming more confident discussing the topic of disability with students. Teachers also reported that although it was difficult to step back and observe children in cooperative learning groups, it was beneficial to see that when children were given opportunities to handle social situations on their own, many were capable of doing so. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Using Teacher Impression Journals to Improve Intervention Effectiveness.

This article describes the use of Teacher Impression Journals during a larger study that examined the efficacy of an intervention program designed to promote kindergarteners’ positive attitudes toward peers with disabilities (i.e., the Special Friends program). The journals were designed to gather information about intervention implementation and social validity. Weekly Teacher Impression Journals were collected from 32 teachers over a 6-week period. Each week teachers responded to questions related to the implementation of two interventions: children’s behaviors related to the study’s primary focus (i.e., acceptance of individuals with disabilities) and comments from key stakeholders (i.e., parents, other school professionals). Teachers’ responses were analyzed using content analysis. Results revealed that teachers observed play interactions as evidence of children’s acceptance of peers with disabilities. Teachers also reported hearing positive comments from other stakeholders about children’s acceptance as well as about the interventions. Suggestions for research and implications for practice are discussed.

Motor Skill Acquisition for Young Children with Disabilities

We have long known the benefits of early motor activities for young children’s motor skill development and other developmental domains (Iverson, Journal of Child Language 37: 229–261, 2010; From playpen to playground: The importance of physical play for the motor development of young children, Reston, VA, 2010; From playpen to playground: The importance of physical play for the motor development of young children, Reston, VA, 2010). Not only is motor skill development important in and of itself, but it has been linked to social, language, and cognitive development as well. And, while motor skills develop naturally for most typically developing preschoolers, young children with disabilities often experience delays in this area. Therefore, it is essential to intervene, providing direct and intentional motor programs for children with disabilities during their early years when fundamental motor skills such as locomotion and manipulation develop. These skills form a foundation for skill development in other developmental areas.

The Young Athletes Curriculum: Impact on Children with Disabilities in Kenya.

ABSTRACT Research consistently demonstrates that children with developmental disabilities exhibit motor skill deficits, but motor skill interventions can positively affect motor abilities and other areas of development. These findings have particular relevance for children with disabilities in developing countries, where there is limited access to early intervention and education. In these settings, motor skill interventions may provide a means to address delays in development and positively affect perceptions of family and community members about their capacity to learn. To that end, this study examined the adaptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of implementing a motor skills intervention, the Special Olympics’ Young Athletes Curriculum (YA), in Kenya. Eighteen preschool-age children with intellectual and developmental disabilities participated in the YA intervention, which consisted of 187 motor activities delivered in 24 lessons across 8 weeks. The findings indicate that the YA intervention is adaptable and can be feasibly implemented with high fidelity. In addition, significant motor gains were demonstrated on the pre- and posttest of the Test of Motor Development and a positive and multi-level impact on inclusion of children with disabilities was found.

Embedding Motor Activities Into Inclusive Preschools

177 Vol. 22, No. 4, December 2019 YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN https://doi.org/<doino>DOI: <doino> journals.sagepub.com/home/yec Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions