Immediate effects of mainstreamed settings on the social interactions and social integration of preschool children.

The immediate effects of mainstreamed and specialized settings on the peer interactions of preschool children with and without developmental delays were examined. Mainstreamed and specialized playgroups were established involving unacquainted peers and using a methodology that ensured appropriate matching of child and family characteristics. For each 2-week playgroup, the social and play interactions of each child were observed during a designated free-play period. Peer sociometric ratings also were obtained. Results indicated higher levels of peer interactions in mainstreamed settings for both typically developing children and children with developmental delays. The immediate impact of mainstreamed settings appeared to be attributed to the social demands and higher interaction levels of the former group. Children with developmental delays were not fully accepted nor totally socially integrated based on sociometric measures and behavioral indices of peer preferences. Implications of these findings for developing intervention programs to maximize children's peer-related social competence was discussed.