| The purpose of this study was to determine if there were significant differences in social skills of preschool children with and without handicaps, as measured by the Social Skills Rating System, Parent and Teacher versions (SSRS-P and SSRS-T), and to determine whether parent and teacher perceptions of social skills differ significantly.;The sample consisted of 174 preschool children ranging in age from three to five years in public schools in West Phoenix, Arizona who were rated by their teachers and their parents or guardians. Children were classified as either Speech Language Delayed, Moderately Developmentally Delayed, Severely Developmentally Delayed or not referred for special education. 43.7% were female and 56.3% were male. Proportions of boys and girls varied in each eligibility category.;Results of this study yielded three major findings. First, children who were not handicapped were rated more highly by parents and teachers on the SSRS. In addition, the levels of social skills of preschool children decreased as the severity of the students' disability increased, indicating that social skills of handicapped preschool children are less well developed than their non-handicapped peers.;Second, both the SSRS-P and SSRS-T were able to discriminate between the eligibility groups of the preschool children. However, neither form had a high rate of success in correctly classifying students, limiting the usefulness of the SSRS in the special education eligibility decision-making process.;Third, parent and teacher ratings differed on the SSRS for the total sample of preschool children and within each eligibility group category. Additionally, parents and teachers differed on each subscale of the SSRS. Correlations between parent and teacher ratings were significant for only the Severely Developmentally Delayed group. Thus, parents and teachers had similar views of the social skills of the most severely handicapped children but differed on their perceptions of preschool children with less severe or no handicaps. Limitations of the study were discussed and directions for future research were presented. |
