Prosocial Behaviors of Handicapped and Typical Peers In An Integrated Preschool

This Study explores initiations of prosocial actions by mainstreamed handicapped and normal preschoolers to discover:

1. which preschool activity setting was more conducive to prosocial interactions.
2. which specific prosocial bids were more likely to occur in which setting.
3. whether frequency of prosocial behaviors was related to directionality, since typical children are reported to choose interactions with typical rather than atypical peers preferentially.
4. what proportion of prosocial behaviors were child initiated rather than teacher directed.

Six types of prosocial bids were recorded for 10 typical and 5 special (4 autistic, 1 multiply handicapped) children (mean age 4-4 years) in 4 activity settings (80 total minutes per child). Setting had a significant effect. Most of the 210 prosocial bids occurred during free play, many during structured play and gym, and the fewest during teacher-directed structured circle time. Sharing, cooperating and helping were the most frequent prosocial behaviors. Sympathy and praise were rare; no nurturing was observed.

No directionality preferences were found. Typical children initiated twice as many prosocial bids (X=20) as atypical peers (X=10-2). Taking into account the expected probabilities for interactions given the significantly different prosocial activity levels for each group and the different numbers of children per group, no preferences or “prejudices” were found.

Contact alone with typical children does not build interpersonal skills of atypical children. Teachers and therapists must specifically model and facilitate prosocial skills.