Research supports the idea that all children, those who have disabilities and their typical peers, who are socially engaged and share a sense of belonging in their communities and classrooms are more successful at reaching academic goals. And since children's attitudes towards disabilities are formed in the preschool and early elementary years, these early years are an ideal time for children to develop understanding of others and develop positive social behaviors. Using similarities awareness as a bridge to friendship, the lessons and resources described in this website facilitate the development of relationships among children in the pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade age group, which is an optimal age range for building positive inclusive behaviors, compassion and understanding.  



"[A] part of my vision is that researchers and practitioners will listen to families and realize that isolated social skills are not equal to membership in classroom and peer groups or social relationships and that we can change our focus of assessment and intervention toward memberships and relationships (Schwartz, p.124)."

"Understanding children's need to create and maintain 'community' and supporting their efforts at developing a peer culture are ... ways  practitioners can facilitate membership in the classroom. Practitioners must assume full responsibility for creating a truly inclusive environment where social equity, democracy, and humanity are deeply embedded within daily classroom practices (Erwin & Guintini, 2000)."

"All people who know the student need to be involved in creatively exploring opportunities and strategies for facilitating friendships throughout the student's life. The role is shared by regular educators, teacher aides, classmates, family members, special educators, therapists, counselors, and community people who know the student well and are committed to [his]/her long-term success and happiness (Schaffner & Buswell, p. 21)."

Interventions that support interaction of children with and without disabilities carried over into their school day through drawings, greetings in the hallway, and play (Favazza, Phillipsen, & Kumar, 2000).

"Experiences working and playing together as equal partners are likely to provide typically developing children with a better understanding of what it means to have a disability and to promote positive attitudes toward classmates with disabilities (Diamond & Huang, 2005)."

Young children's attitudes can positively change in a short time with social-contact experiences and guided discussion (Favazza & Odom, 1997).

Active facilitation of social interactions was a theme found useful by general education teachers to develop social relations between children with and without disabilities (Salisbury, Gallucci, Palombaro, & Peck, 1995).

Positive behaviors and friendships develop between children with and without disabilities with appropriate guidance from adults through answering questions and modeling accepting behaviors (Odom, DeKlyen, & Jenkins, 1984).

"Children with and without disabilities may interact more frequently when teachers are present. Teachers can redirect children and help them initiate and maintain interactions with their peers with disabilities. For example, commenting about similarities between children with and without disabilities ... helps children focus on others' abilities (Diamond & Huang, 2005)."

"Although friendships must not be forced, positive relationships need to be intentionally facilitated in order for students with and without disabilities to get beyond the barriers and grow to know, respect, and appreciate each other as individuals (Schaffner & Buswell, p. 11)."

"We must discuss similarities as well as differences as this is how children are able to discover ways they are alike which helps build relationships (Blaska, 2003)."

"We need to pay attention to the social ecology in which ...children spend time, creating opportunities and providing support for them to be genuine members and establish meaningful relationships (Schwartz, p. 126)."

"Friends influence problem-solving, achievement, and adjustment in school, and schools affect children's opportunities to cultivate healthy friendships.... [Classroom] characteristics appear to affect opportunities for making friends and the contexts in which friendships develop (Gifford-Smith & Brownell, 2003)."

"[Friendship] facilitation ... is a process in which students with disabilities are viewed in terms of their strengths and the contributions they will make in relationships. The message is that all students are givers and receivers and can develop mutual friendships (Schaffner & Buswell, p. 19)."

"To summarize, the fundamental principles of access, belongingness, and opportunity seem to be met sufficiently only in the context of full inclusion.... In addition, the importance of teachers taking responsibility to help children with developmental disabilities and their peers learn to interact with and relate to one another cannot be overstated. When these two conditions are met, children with developmental disabilities, including autism, will finally be receiving the opportunities they need and deserve to establish friendships with their typically developing peers (Hurley-Geffner, p. 112).

"By allowing children to discuss their reactions to books and providing additional background information about disabilities, a teacher could be in a position to positively influence the attitudes children have toward their peers with cognitive disabilities (Smith-D'Arezzo, 2003).

"What book discussions can add to a balance literacy program is an instructional context for teaching social skills, discourse processes, literature response, communication skills, critical thought processes, and the literary aspects of literature (Wiebe Berry & Englert, 2005).