| Research with typically developing children and their parents shows that parents can play an important active role in helping children develop friendships, however little research has examined this role with among parents with preschoolers with special needs. This qualitative study addressed the following five research questions: (a) How do parents define friendship? (b) How important is friendship to parents as an outcome for their children? (c) What is the nature of children's past and current friendships? (d) What practices do parents use to promote their children's friendships? and (e) What factors affect parents' use of friendship practices? Participants were purposively selected based on child's current age (3.5–5.5 yrs) and disability status from a group of parents from an ongoing study of friendship in inclusive preschools. Fourteen parents of children with special needs and 16 parents of typically developing children participated in semi-structured interviews about their children's friendships. A content analysis of the parent interviews was conducted to identify common themes in parents' responses within and across both groups. Results indicated that parents in both groups described the same basic beliefs about friendship. Almost all children had friends, and the close friends of children in both groups tended to be their same age, gender, and typically developing. Parents in both groups also described providing children with social opportunities, using social coaching, and serving as an interactive partner as ways that they helped their children learn to make friends. However, they differed both within and between the groups with respect to the total number of different practices they used and the ways in which they used them. Parents' beliefs appeared to affect their use of friendship practices. Limitations of this study are described. Implications for practice and research are provided. |
