Preschool children's conceptions of disabilities: The salience of disability in children's ideas about others

This research investigates the was in which preschool children conceptualize different disabilities. Subjects sere 36 children, 3 to 6 years of age, enrolled in inclusive preschool programs. Children were interviewed to learn their ideas about physical and sensory disabilities and Down syndrome, and to assess the salience of disability in their responses to photographs of unfamiliar children. Results revealed that must children were aware of physical disability, half of thr children were aware of sensory disabilities, and no children expressed an a awareness of Down syndrome. Children were sensitive to thr effects of a physical disability on a child's motor performance, but were less aware of the consequences oi other disabilities. These results have important implications for understanding typically developing children's reactions to, and ideas about,their classmates with disabilities in inclusive settings.