A descriptive analysis of developmental and social gains of children with severe disabilities In segregated and inclusive preschools in Southern Ontario

Studies comparing developmental and social gains of children with disabilities in integrated and segregated preschool programs have tended not to involve children with severe disabilities. The present study is a descriptive analysis of pre-assessment differences and gains of children with severe disabilities in segregated (N = 48), and integrated (N = 46) preschools over a preschool year on 3 measures of children's development (Uniform Performance Assessment System, Teacher Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, and Parent Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale) and on changes in naturalistic observation of children's social interaction during free play periods. Also included in the comparisons were gains of children with mild/moderate disabilities (N = 66) and typically-developing children (N = 63). Preschoolers with disabilities were selected at random from an initial pool of 1,300 children with disabilities, aged 2.5 – 6.0 yr, attending preschools in southern Ontario and screened for their level of disabilities. The results indicated that segregated programs for children with severe disabilities were characterized by more enriched adult/child ratios and shorter hours of daily operation. Children with severe disabilities in segregated preschools showed less development gains than children in the other 3 experimental groups. Moreover, no group of children with disabilities increased the amount of time they interacted with peers from the low levels found at preassessment. Implications for programming for children with severe disabilities are discussed.