Defining Social Inclusion for Children with Disabilities: A Critical Literature Review

Abstract

Social inclusion is a complex and often misunderstood concept. For children with disabilities, research has documented the degree of loneliness, bullying and exclusion they often experience in their social lives. This paper presents the findings of a critical literature review on the social inclusion of children with disabilities. Study methods comprised rigorous criteria for study selection followed by established protocols for evaluating studies. Reputable rating scales were used to examine peer-reviewed research published within the last 10 years. Fifty-four studies were analyzed for essential themes. Findings reflect a broad range of stakeholder perspectives and factors that promote or inhibit social inclusion, including child-specific variables as well as environmental influences. Additional research should focus on the perspectives and experiences of children in inclusive settings, particularly those with disabilities, as a means of safeguarding their future social and emotional well-being. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and National Children's Bureau Keywords: children, disabilities, peers, social inclusion, social relationships, stigma. BackgroundEstimates of worldwide child disability rates are speculative and dated; however, UNICEF estimates that approximately 93 million (1 in 20) of people aged 14 or younger live with a moderate or severe disability (UNICEF, 2013). In the USA, 5.2 per cent (2.8 million) of the 53.9 million school-aged children (aged 5-17) were reported to have a disability in 2010 (Disability Characteristics, American Community Survey, 2010). For comparison, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2011) indicates that 202 350 children (3.7%, aged 0-14 years) and 96 060 teens (4.6%, aged 15-19 years) in Canada have a disability. The most commonly diagnosed disabilities among children include learning, communication and developmental disabilities, while children are also commonly diagnosed with physical disabilities (US Census Bureau, 2010).'Social inclusion' is a multifaceted and largely subjective construct (Le Boutillier and Croucher, 2010). It is often described in opposition to 'social exclusion', which refers to the stigmatisation or marginalisation of certain groups based on particular characteristics, such as socioeconomic status, race, gender or disability. For children with disabilities, social inclusion requires overcoming significant social, economic and political barriers to achieve meaningful involvement in society (Hill and others, 2004). This can involve the ability to make friends, participate in community activities, engage in leisure and play, and have access to quality inclusive practices in the classroom. Social inclusion, therefore, establishes a basis for overall well-being and is a critical component of becoming a valued and contributing member of the community (Mâsse and others, 2012;Murray and Greenberg, 2006).Although children with disabilities value peer relationships and participation in community activities, they continue to experience low levels of ...

Sport Intervention Programs (SIPs) to Improve Health and Social Inclusion in People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review

“…This review aimed to provide an overview of the scientific literature in order to identify the main factors influencing participation in sport intervention programs (SIPs) in people with ID. Recently, there has been an increased interest in sport programs addressed to individuals with ID given the sport educational values and their efficacy in improving physical and mental health [ 20 , 36 , 37 , 42 , 63 ].…”

“…Despite a wide variety of methodological variables such as participants’ age and disability, intervention characteristics, context, and measures, the main factors essential for the people with ID experiencing SIPs were revealed to concern suitable places for the SIP development, adequate implementation of PA programs in the school and extra-school contexts, and the education and training of teachers and instructors. Studies underlined the importance of providing access to physical exercise for people with ID through recreational and competitive sport and physical education curricula [ 20 , 22 , 36 , 37 , 42 ].…”

“…The PRISMA method was followed for the review methodology and data extraction [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. A protocol for this review was registered on PROSPERO in January 2018 (PROSPERO registration number CRD42018081672).…”

Typically Developing Preschoolers’ Behavior Toward Peers With Disabilities in Inclusive Classroom Contexts

“…An increasing number of young children with disabilities attend an early childhood program with their typically developing peers (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). High-quality inclusive practices promote the physical and social integration of children with disabilities in classrooms and communities, so they can build a sense of community as a member of the society and form positive relationships with their typically developing peers (Guralnick, 2001;Koller, Le Pouesard, & Rummens, 2018;Odom, Buysse, & Soukakou, 2011). However, children with disabilities are not frequently socially included by their typically developing peers in classroom interactions especially during the time when peer interactions were more likely to occur than adult-child interactions, such as free play time (Brown, Odom, Li, & Zercher, 1999;Guralnick, 1999;Odom, Favazza, Brown, & Horn, 2000;Odom et al, 2004).…”

Social Inclusion in Building Islamic Positive Behavior on ADHD Children

“…A research done by Cummins and Lau (2003) showed that exceptional children or children with disability were stayed on the risk of being isolated and intimidated than the other normal children. Similar to Cummins and Lau, although exceptional children were still having ability to interact with friends and participate in community activity, but they were still having the low social integration level (Koller, Pouesard and Rummens, 2018).…”