Community integration and inclusion: Developmental outcomes for preschoolers with disabilities in inclusive settings
by Vitztum-Komanecki, Joann Marie, Ph.D., INDIANA UNIVERSITY, 2007, 177 pages; 3274267

Abstract:

Community integration is an important goal of inclusive education. The purpose of this research was two-part: (a) to explore the nature of community integration for young children with disabilities participating in inclusive preschool settings, and (b) to determine the extent to which a relationship exists between community integration and child developmental outcomes. Study 1 utilized family survey data to explore the nature of community integration for a sample of 354 children participating in inclusive preschool programs. Using cross-tabulation, chi-square, and multiple regression analyses, children's involvement in community-based activities, their play with other children, the barriers they experienced in accessing their communities, and their overall integration in the community were related to several child, family, and community factors. Study 2 extended the findings of Study 1 by replicating these analyses with a smaller sample of 93 children and examined the relationship between community integration and child developmental outcomes using a random effects regression model. The results indicated that children with higher levels of community integration demonstrated enhanced developmental gains over the course of the school year when the severity of the child's disability, the family's annual household income, the number of children in the home, and the extent to which the child experienced barriers in accessing the community was statistically controlled. Taken together, the findings from these two studies suggest that while greater community integration was associated with enhanced child developmental outcomes, children with more severe disabilities, children from families with lower levels of education, and children from families with more limited financial resources less frequently participated in many community-based activities. As such, agencies and professionals working with families with young children with disabilities may need to support families' efforts to facilitate the community integration of their children, particularly families with more limited resources. In order to achieve the goal of community integration for all young children with disabilities, it may be necessary to alleviate some of the barriers children experience in accessing their communities and provide supports which are appropriate in the contexts of families' daily lives.

 
AdviserJack Cummings
SchoolINDIANA UNIVERSITY
SourceDAI/A 68-07, p. , Nov 2007
Source TypeDissertation
SubjectsEarly childhood education; Educational psychology
Publication Number3274267
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