Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Outcomes for Typically Developing Children Enrolled in Integrated Early Childhood Programs

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Abstract
We conducted a survey of 125 parents and 95 teachers currently involved in programs integrating children with disabilities into regular preschool and kindergarten classes. In contrast to the predominance of earlier research on mainstreaming and social integration which has focused mainly on children with disabilities, the focus of this study was on outcomes of this arrangement for typically developing children. Results indicated that both parents and teachers of typically developing children perceived important benefits accruing to these children as a result of their Involvement in the integrated program. The data further indicated that common concerns about potential drawbacks to integration, such as reduction in teacher attention to typically developing children, were not generally perceived as problems in these programs. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for broadening the rationale for Integrated programs to include more focused consideration of the potential benefits of mainstreaming for all children.