“Can I Play with You?” Peer Culture in Inclusive Preschool Programs

Peer culture reflects the unique social worlds children construct out of everyday experiences with one another. This study explored the peer cultures of children with diverse abilities, backgrounds, and needs—focusing on 10 children with significant disabilities—in six inclusive preschool programs. Using a multi-method approach that included both qualitative and quantitative measures, themes were generated that portrayed how children with disabilities (1) expressed the desire to participate in peer culture through a range of social-communicative and symbolic behavior; (2) experienced inclusion in peer culture by coordinating social activity and establishing reciprocal relationships; and (3) experienced exclusion from peer culture through different forms of neglect, social-communicative breakdown, conflict, and rejection. Case vignettes and quotes serve to support and illustrate themes. The findings are discussed in terms of related sociocultural influences, implications for educational practice, and future directions in research.