Socio-emotional regulation in children with intellectual disability and typically developing children, and teachers' perceptions of their social adjustment.
For preschoolers with ID, stronger play self-control equals better teacher-rated social fit, a link that does not hold for TD peers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Baurain et al. (2013) watched preschoolers with and without intellectual disability during free play. Teachers later rated how well each child fit in with classmates.
The team asked: do kids who follow rules and stay calm while playing get better social scores?
What they found
Only the children with ID showed a clear link. Better rule-following and calmer play meant teachers saw them as more socially adjusted.
For typically developing peers, play self-control did not predict teacher ratings.
How this fits with other research
Vieillevoye et al. (2008) saw the same groups in a lab pretend-play task five years earlier. They also found lower self-regulation in ID, but showed pretend play itself can boost regulation in both groups.
Lecavalier et al. (2006) widened the lens: self-regulation and social skills measured at preschool predicted smoother kindergarten entry for both ID and TD children.
Berkovits et al. (2014) seem to disagree. They report emotion dysregulation predicts later social problems only in TD kids, not in those with delays. The difference is age and method: D et al. studied older children and used parent emotion scores, while Céline used live play behaviors.
Bowen et al. (2012) add a practical tip: structure the play area. Their lab work shows structured pretend play draws out stronger regulation strategies in preschoolers with ID.
Why it matters
If you run social-skills groups for preschoolers with ID, target turn-taking, instruction-following, and keeping hands to self right inside the play routine. Improvements the teacher can see may follow without extra social stories.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined the extent to which socio-emotional regulation displayed in three dyadic interactive play contexts (neutral, competitive or cooperative) by 45 children with intellectual disability compared with 45 typically developing children (matched on developmental age, ranging from 3 to 6 years) is linked with the teachers' perceptions of their social adjustment. A Coding Grid of Socio-Emotional Regulation by Sequences (Baurain & Nader-Grosbois, 2011b, 2011c) focusing on Emotional Expression, Social Behavior and Behavior toward Social Rules in children was applied. The Social Adjustment for Children Scale (EASE, Hugues, Soares-Boucaud, Hochman, & Frith, 1997) and the Assessment, Evaluation and Intervention Program System (AEPS, Bricker, 2002) were completed by teachers. Regression analyses emphasized, in children with intellectual disability only, a positive significant link between their Behavior toward Social Rules in interactive contexts and the teachers' perceptions of their social adjustment. Children with intellectual disabilities who listen to and follow instructions, who are patient in waiting for their turn, and who moderate their externalized behavior are perceived by their teachers as socially adapted in their daily social relationships. The between-groups dissimilarity in the relational patterns between abilities in socio-emotional regulation and social adjustment supports the "structural difference hypothesis" with regard to the group with intellectual disability, compared with the typically developing group. Hierarchical cluster cases analyses identified distinct subgroups showing variable structural patterns between the three specific categories of abilities in socio-emotional regulation and their levels of social adjustment perceived by teachers. In both groups, several abilities in socio-emotional regulation and teachers' perceptions of social adjustment vary depending on children's developmental age. Chronological age in children with intellectual disability had no impact on their socio-emotional regulation and social adjustment.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.022