Microcomputers as Social Facilitators in Integrated Preschools

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Abstract
An altemating treatments design was used to compare three play conditions on the amount of time each of four handicapped children would interact with a socially competent nonhandicapped peer during play time in an integrated preschool. The purpose of these comparisons was to test the effects of a microcomputer to another highly motivating reactive activity (a remote controlled robot), and to compare these activities to a baseline condition where children generally had only each other to play with. In addition, comparisons were made to assess if there were differential effects across the activities based on the social competence of the handicapped preschooler in each dyad. Results revealed that the computer condition resulted in more socially directed behaviors within dyads consisting of subjects with significant social and language deficits and physical handicaps. The two dyads in which the handicapped preschoolers had mild social interaction deficits and physical disabilities showed similar performances across the three conditions.