Difficulties in relationships between nonhandicapped and severely mentally retarded children: the effect of physical impairments.
Kids without disabilities find play less fun when their partner has both severe ID and physical limits—so BCBAs must engineer quick, rewarding interactions.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers watched kids play in pairs. One child had no disability. The other had severe intellectual disability plus a physical handicap.
They counted how much the non-disabled child played, talked, and shared toys. They also counted smiles, laughs, and other social reinforcers.
What they found
The non-disabled kids played less and gave fewer smiles or laughs when the partner had both ID and physical limits.
The play felt less fun and rewarding for them. Social reinforcers dropped on both sides.
How this fits with other research
Chien et al. (2017) saw the same gap 30 years later. Kids with IDD still joined recreation less often and needed more help.
Hamama et al. (2021) found poor motor skills are the main roadblock to physical activity in ID. That backs the 1988 view that physical limits drive peers away.
Bergmann et al. (2019) add a twist. Adults with ID say they want close ties but staff and rules block them. The 1988 data show the barrier can start in childhood play.
Leung et al. (1998) swap play for eye contact. Non-disabled adults looked and talked more, mirroring the childhood “I do most of the work” pattern.
Why it matters
If you run social-skills groups, know that physical barriers turn peers off first. Add supports like adapted toys, seating, or simplified motor demands. Pair kids for short, high-reinforcement turns so the non-disabled partner leaves with a smile. Build motor skills too; Hamama et al. (2021) show that pays off in more activity later. Target these fixes early and you shrink the social gap before it hardens.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Difficulties in relationships between nonhandicapped and severely mentally retarded children (ages 8-12) were examined as a function of the presence or absence of additional physical handicapping conditions. Two sets of data, involving multiple codes of both the handicapped and nonhandicapped children's behavior, were analyzed and aggregated to address this issue. Findings suggested that nonhandicapped children work harder, receive and emit fewer social reinforcers, have less opportunity to play and have fun, and achieve lower levels of social play when their playmate is physically handicapped as well as severely mentally retarded. Implications for the longevity of social relationships with and the community survival of severely multiply handicapped persons are discussed. Strategies for increasing the reinforcement potential of relationships with multiply handicapped children are proposed for future research and implementation.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1988 · doi:10.1016/0891-4222(88)90020-0