The positive impact of including students with intellectual disabilities in schools: Children's attitudes towards peers with disabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Inclusive Saudi elementary classrooms already grow kinder student attitudes toward peers with intellectual disabilities.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Alnahdi (2019) asked kids in Saudi elementary schools how they feel about classmates with intellectual disabilities. Some kids went to inclusive schools where these peers learn in the same room. Others went to non-inclusive schools.
The survey looked at age and whether the child had a disabled relative. It did not test any new program; it simply compared attitudes.
What they found
Kids in inclusive schools held warmer, more positive views of peers with intellectual disabilities. Kids in non-inclusive schools held flatter or more negative views.
Younger students were kinder than older ones. Having a disabled relative at home did not change attitudes.
How this fits with other research
Aldosari (2022) seems to clash: Saudi private elementary teachers reported mildly negative views about inclusion. The gap is about people, not place. Students like inclusion; some teachers do not.
Schwab (2015) ran a similar inclusive-vs-regular comparison in Austria. That study found mixed social results: non-disabled kids felt more friendships, yet disabled kids still felt left out. Hamad’s positive student attitudes line up with the friendship boost part.
Szumski et al. (2020) widened the lens. In Swiss classrooms, inclusive placement plus strong moral identity predicted lower negative attitudes across all ages. Hamad’s Saudi data fit inside this bigger pattern.
Why it matters
If you consult in Saudi elementary schools, push for inclusive classrooms. Student attitudes already lean positive, so your social-skills groups or peer-mediated interventions start on friendly ground. Pair younger students with and without disabilities for joint tasks; the data show younger kids are naturally more accepting. Keep measuring teacher buy-in, since some still feel unsure. A quick staff survey can flag who needs extra coaching before you launch class-wide inclusion projects.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes of Saudi students towards peers with disabilities. It examines how these attitudes are related to age, attending a school that includes students with intellectual disabilities, and having a relative with a disability. METHODS AND PROCEDURE: Participants included 357 elementary school male students (grades 3-6) who completed the Arabic version of the CATCH scale. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The students presented positive attitudes towards peers with disabilities. Students in schools that included students with intellectual disabilities had more positive attitudes than other students. Older students were more likely to hold positive attitudes than younger students. Having a relative with a disability had no effect. Conclusion and implications The findings suggest that students generally hold positive attitudes towards children with disabilities. Moreover, including students with intellectual disabilities in schools associated with other students' awareness about students with differing levels of abilities. Expanding schools to include children with disabilities in society in general will probably help increase the likelihood that they will be accepted and diminish the stereotypes that follow them.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2019 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.10.004