The paper is a product of the 3-year project, "Functional Mainstreaming for Success," designed to develop a model for instructional mainstreaming of handicapped children (3-6 years old) in community settings. The literature review examines activities and methods to prepare nonhandicapped children for the mainstreaming of handicapped children.…

Group affection activities were used to increase the interaction of three autistic children (four- and seven-years-old) with nonhandicapped peers in an integrated early childhood setting. Increased interactions included initiations by both autistic and nonhandicapped children, with reciprocal interactions occurring more frequently with…

Despite recognition that children with learning disabilities frequently lack social competence and peer acceptance, the focus of both diagnosis and remediation continues to be almost exclusively academic. To truly serve this population, it is necessary to attend to their social and emotional needs as well as their academic progress. (Author/VW)

The current study examined peer nominated non-aggressive rejected children on their levels of social reasoning, anxiety, goals and perceptions of self-efficacy, and communication styles when collaborating with another peer. Sociometric measures were used to identify 15 average and 10 non-aggressive rejected 5th and 6th grade children. Pre- and…

Social skills instruction is one way of increasing the likelihood that exceptional children will interact more positively and be accepted by nonhandicapped children. Several social skill training techniques are described. (CJ)

The authors provide information on how school personnel can help provide both opportunities for intergroup relationships and strategies for creating rewarding social interactions between severely handicapped and nonhandicapped students. (SW)

Examined stability and behavioral correlates of peer acceptance from kindergarten through second grade. Found that social acceptance and peer competence were relatively stable. Stably rejected children showed poorer peer and teacher ratings of social behavior than others; transiently rejected children were rated moderate in social skill. Changes…

The study examined the social relations of 23 third-grade children with learning disabilities (LD) and 154 without LD. LD children were less accepted but not more rejected by peers than nonLD children. Significant group differences in friendship concepts and levels of reasoning about friendship and conflict resolution were also found. (Author/DB)

Fourth and fifth grade boys who were or were not rejected by peers reported how they would handle conflictual interactions described in vignettes. Rejected boys who were aggressive or residual, that is, neither aggressive nor submissive, exhibited less integration of personal and relational goals than did nonrejected boys. (BC)

Describes eight-session social skills training groups designed to improve elementary school students' social interaction skills, thus promoting more positive peer relationships and giving children vehicle for social acceptance by others. Discusses group membership and structure; behavior management; getting started; and session format. Each…

A student attitude questionnaire was given to 1,465 gifted and talented adolescents who identified 5 strategies used to deal with potentially stigmatizing events (cover up, lie, placate, be truthful, and cop-out). The placate coping strategy was the most frequently used across scenarios. (DB)

This study of 40 adolescents with visual impairments and 23 of their best friends found that adolescents with visual impairments are successful in establishing and maintaining reciprocal, intimate best friendships. The friends engaged in typical activities and felt that visual impairments did not have a strong negative impact on their friendships.…

This article reports descriptive information on the relationship between social competence and amount and type of peer interaction for nine adolescents with mental retardation attending a regular high school. Results found individual differences in patterns of peer interaction with a tendency toward more frequent interaction with peers with mental…

A study analyzed whether obsessive behavior could be used functionally as the theme of an appropriate social game and whether the game would increase social interactions between three children (ages 5-8) with autism and their peers. Results indicated that after being taught a socially appropriate game, social interactions increased dramatically.…

We examined the influence of children's peer relationships and maternal emotional socialization on children's development of emotion knowledge. Children's emotion knowledge was assessed at the beginning (time 1) and end (time 2) of their first semester of kindergarten. Children's peer interactions were measured through observations and teacher…