The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an integrated early childhood music program on social interaction among children with handicaps and their typical peers. A field test was conducted with 15 students (age 4) from a typical preschool, and 12 students (ages 3 to 5) with moderate levels of mental retardation from a county developmental center. The children came together once weekly at the typical preschool for integrated music sessions. For 15 sessions following the pretests, the music therapist employed specific strategies to foster interaction. A trend analysis indicated that interaction among the children increased following the music therapy intervention phase. A questionnaire was submitted to the five staff members involved with the project; all agreed that the program had facilitated peer interaction and had fostered acceptance of differences among individuals.
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Marcia Earl Humpal (1991) studied this question.