Making connections and making friends: social interactions between two children labelled with special educational needs and their peers in a nursery setting

Abstract

This paper reports on a pilot study of the social interactions between two children labelled with special educational needs and their peers in an early years setting. Data from play observations and staff interviews are used to examine the dynamics of friendship groups that the two children have developed and the way that they attempt to make new connections with other children. Comparisons between the two children’s interactions with their recurrent playmates and less familiar peers are drawn and the significance of their agency in making decisions about developing relationships is highlighted. A theme that also emerges is that staff facilitating rather than directing interactions between the two children and their peers has the most positive impact. Areas for further investigation are suggested including the range of relationships that children identified with special educational needs establish with their peers and the nature of adult support that most effectively supports friendships between all children.

Keywords:

• special educational needs
• friendships
• social interaction
• adult support

Notes

1. Portage is a pre-school educational service that provides children and their families with a regular home visit from a trained Portage visitor. A learning programme is developed and practiced by the home visitor and parents with the aim of addressing the child’s special educational needs.

2. All early years’ settings in England were required to follow this Code, which set out a graduated process of assessment of special educational need. Children identified at the ‘Early Action Plus’ stage in the framework would be receiving external support in addition to their pre-school provision in order to meet their educational requirements.