The Play Attending, and Language of Young Handicapped Children in Integrated and Segregated Settings

Abstract

The play, attending, and language of six handicapped preschoolers were compared in integrated and segregated settings. In the integrated settings the six children attended morning Head Start, kindergarten, or daycare/preschool programs for nonhandicapped children, In the segregated setting the six children attended a special education transition classroom consisting of only handicapped children. The analyses of play suggested more sophisticated levels of play in the segregated than in the integrated settings. There were no differences between the two settings in appropriateness of play or in type of interactions. There were also no significant differences in the percentage of attending to teacher-directed learning activities. In addition, the children did not differ in the quality or quantity of their language in the two settings. The implications of the failure to obtain better play attending, and language behaviors in mainstreamed environments are discussed.