Social Competence and Young Children With Special Needs: Debunking “Mythconceptions”

In the authors' experience, most early childhood and early childhood special educators are quick to endorse the importance of young children's social interactions with each other, particularly in inclusive settings. In this context, it is both ironic and deeply troubling that while giving...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inYoung exceptional children Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 48 - 60
Main Authors Joseph, Jaclyn D., Rausch, Alissa, Strain, Phillip S.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2018
Subjects
Accountability
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
Early Childhood Education
Inclusion
Interpersonal Competence
Misconceptions
Personal Autonomy
Preschool Children
Reinforcement
Special Needs Students
Tests
Vignettes
Young Children
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Summary:In the authors' experience, most early childhood and early childhood special educators are quick to endorse the importance of young children's social interactions with each other, particularly in inclusive settings. In this context, it is both ironic and deeply troubling that while giving lip service to peer social skill development, the data suggest that this is seldom a topic for systematic planning and instruction (Kwon, Elicker, & Kontos, 2011; Michnowicz, McConnell, Peterson, & Odom, 1995). Certainly, there are many reasons for this apparent contradiction between expressed concern and actual performance. In this article, the authors argue that one set of factors is the existence of several "mythconceptions" in the field. In their work with preschool inclusion settings, they often hear the following "mythconceptions" expressed by administrators, supervisors, and practitioners regarding the explicit teaching of peer-related social skills: (1) it is not on the test; (2) autonomy for some; (3) reinforcement as an afterthought; (4) clocking out too early; and (5) social skills in a box. Herein, they review each of these "mythconceptions," discuss their influence on practice, and then provide a set of alternative solutions, incorporating, as appropriate, a hypothetical vignette and specific Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Recommended Practices (Division for Early Childhood, 2014).
ISSN:1096-2506
2154-400X
DOI:10.1177/1096250615621359