Social Acceptance of Learning Disabled Adolescents

The regular classroom sociometric status of learning disabled (LD) and nonhandicapped (NH) high-school students was examined. Forty-six LD students who attended regular classes for portions of the school day were matched with an equal number of NH students in 6 schools. A sociometric rating scale, the Ohio Social Acceptance Scale (OSAS), was administered in 32 physical education classes enrolling LD students. LD and NH students were found not to differ significantly in regular classroom sociometric status. In addition, LD pupils were as well known as their matched peers and rated fellow LD students in the same classes higher than did NH raters. The findings are inconsistent with those of previous studies involving younger students by suggesting that regular classrooms can be socially rewarding for LD adolescents.