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Children's understanding of the physical, cognitive and social consequences of impairments

L A Smith1, J M Williams

  • 1Department of Education, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Lesley.Smith@education.ed.ac.uk

Child: Care, Health and Development
|December 12, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Disability Studies
  • Inclusive Education

Background:

  • Understanding children's perceptions of disability is crucial for fostering inclusive environments.
  • Previous research highlights varying developmental trajectories in children's concepts of ability and impairment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how typically developing children perceive the competencies of peers with various impairments.
  • To examine age-related differences and disability-type specific variations in these perceptions.

Main Methods:

  • Interview-based study with 77 typically developing children across four age groups (4-12 years).
  • Explored children's ideas about abilities of peers with physical, sensory, learning, and emotional/behavioral impairments.

Main Results:

  • Significant age-related differences emerged in children's judgments of capabilities.
  • Children's understanding of impairment consequences differed based on the disability type.

Conclusions:

  • Children's concepts of disability evolve with age and are influenced by impairment specifics.
  • Findings inform strategies for promoting more effective inclusive education practices and peer understanding.

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