Comparing the Effects of Educational Placement on the Social Relationships of Intermediate School Students with Severe Disabilities

Two groups of intermediate school students with severe disabilities were studied across one school year. One group of students participated full time in general education classrooms; the other group was supported via special education classrooms. Using a posttest-only control group design with matched comparisons, each students social interactions, social support behaviors, and friendship networks were measured. The results indicate substantive social benefits for the general education group, relative to students who received support in special education classrooms. In particular, students in the general education group interacted more frequently with peers without disabilities, provided and received higher proportions of social support, and had larger, and more durable, networks of peers without disabilities. The findings are discussed in relation to current efforts to understand the empirical outcomes of inclusive education.