Self-assessment of relationships with peers in children with intellectual disability.
Kids with ID feel liked even while classmates reject them, so gather peer data before writing social goals.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked kids with intellectual disability how they felt about their friends.
They compared answers to those of typical kids in the same classrooms.
Teachers also rated who got picked on or left out.
What they found
Children with ID said their friendships were just as good as typical peers did.
Yet teacher ratings showed these same kids were rejected more often.
The kids did not notice the rejection they were receiving.
How this fits with other research
Nikolov et al. (2009) saw the opposite: in summer camp, peers accepted kids with ID.
The gap is about setting. Camp is play-based and voluntary. Classrooms are academic and forced.
Dubé et al. (2024) later showed that teens with ID who land in isolated or rejected groups feel worse and act out more, proving the long-term cost of the classroom pattern Cullinan et al. (2001) first captured.
Moss et al. (2009) added that warm sibling ties can buffer some of that school rejection, giving clinicians a second place to build social strength.
Why it matters
You can’t trust a child’s smile as a progress meter. Ask peers directly, run sociometric checks, or watch recess. Pair kids with ID for low-pressure, high-interest activities like games or jobs before tackling seatwork. Target siblings too; a good home bond can spill into safer school behavior.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Interaction with peers is important for the development of children, but children with special needs may feel rejected by their peers. The present study examines self-assessment of relationships with peers by children with intellectual disability (ID; n = 20) and children from the general population (n = 20). All participants attended a regular primary school and were aged between 7 and 10.5 years; both sexes were represented in the samples. The Behavior Rating Profile was applied. The results of the children with ID on the "Student Rating Scale: Peers" did not show statistically significant differences from the results of children from general population, with both groups responding similarly to the self-perception scale. However, the sociometric results obtained from their peers clearly show that children with ID are not accepted by their classmates. Peers frequently and more often refuse to study, sit together in class or socialize after classes with children with ID than is the case for children without ID. Despite the high frequency of rejection, it is concluded that children with ID of younger primary school age have average confidence in their own abilities and in the success of their relationships with their peers. Further education among the children who reject them could have a negative impact on their self-esteem.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2001 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2788.2001.00311.x