Are Parents Mainstreamed? A survey of Parent Interactions in the Mainstreamed Preschool

Parents of children enrolled in a mainstreamed preschool were interviewed regarding the quantity and quality of their interactions with other parents. The parents of the handicapped preschoolers reported that they tend to interact equally often with other parents of handicapped preschoolers and with parents of nonhandicapped preschoolers. On the other hand, most parents of nonhandicapped preschoolers indicated that they would be more likely to interact with other parents of nonhandicapped children. Factors which may determine parent-to-parent interactions as well as potentially fruitful areas of research are discussed.