No abstract

Based on peer sociometric reports, we examined how number of friendships, social acceptance, and characteristics of social networks vary as a function of disability profile. We also investigated teachers' awareness of the sociometric status of young children with disabilities.Participants were 86 children with disabilities (63 boys) enrolled in inclusive preschool classrooms from the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, Portugal (Mage = 67.33 months, SD = 10.54).Findings suggest children with severe or socio-behavioral disabilities may be at increased risk for social rejection and isolation, having fewer friends and lower social network centrality than children with mild disabilities. Low agreement between teachers' classifications of the social status of children with disabilities and classifications based on peer nominations raises concerns about their awareness of processes of social rejection and neglect. Findings highlight the need for interventions to support positive social experiences at the dyadic and group levels in Portuguese inclusive preschool classrooms.

Multiple studies have reported associations between early childhood education (ECE) quality and dosage and children's social and behavior development, with some suggesting that this association may be stronger for specific groups of children. In this study, we examined the association between classroom quality and children's social skills and problem behaviors, as reported by ECE teachers, as well as the moderating effects of ECE dosage and children's disability status. Participants were 222 children (Mage = 63.75, SD = 7.77), including 180 typically developing (90 boys) and 42 children with disabilities (29 boys), from 44 inclusive classrooms in the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, Portugal. Our results indicated that children's social skills and behavior problems were not directly associated with observed classroom quality domains. However, lower classroom organization predicted lower social skills and higher externalizing behavior at higher number of months with the lead teacher; and instructional support predicted increased social skills for children with disabilities. Days absent from school predicted lower social skills. Overall, our results suggest that diverse types of dosage influence teacher's reports of social and behavioral outcomes in different ways.

Participation is a fundamental right of all children. Its promotion is considered a key investment in children's well-being, crucial to support high-quality early childhood education (ECE). In this study we aimed to investigate if ECE teachers' ideas on children's participation were associated with children's perceived participation, analysing the mediating role of teachers' practices and dimensions of process quality. Participants in this quantitative study were 336 children (163 boys) aged between 44 and 84 months, and 58 ECE teachers (all female) aged between 26 and 60 years old, from 24 randomly selected ECE centres in the Lisbon metropolitan area. Using multilevel modelling, given the hierarchical structure of data, we found that ECE teachers' ideas about participation do influence children's perceived participation, through teachers' perceived practices. Further, ECE teachers' perceived participation practices were associated with children's perceived participation, through observed participation practices and observed process quality. This study suggests the interdependence of the subjective and objective properties of ECE classrooms, and how both should inform our understanding of the conditions needed to promote children's participation.

This work was funded by Portuguese National Funds, via FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, through research grants SFRH/BPD/86115/2012 (awarded to Inês Peceguina) and PTDC/CPE-CED/117476/2010 (awarded to Cecília Aguiar). It was based on work developed by the second author in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Community Psychology and Minor Protection. We are grateful to all our colleagues involved in data collection as well as to participating children and teachers.