Brief report: preschoolers' social preferences for interacting with peers with physical differences

Investigated preschoolers' playmate preferences for line drawings of a physically normal child, one with a facial scar, one wearing a leg brace, and one sitting in a wheelchair for several contexts: classroom, eating, reading, television, and playground. Difference in preferences for age, gender, ethnic group, and context were investigated. No gender differences were found. African American children were more accepting of a child seated in a wheelchair than Caucasian children. Very young children had limited understanding of the impairments. Also, the children were less likely to express preferences for the children with orthopedic impairments for the playground context. Interventions involving typically developing children and peers with impairments in play that does not require motor activity may enhance the acceptance of children with orthopedic impairments.