Children’s play behaviour, cognitive skills and vocabulary in integrated early childhood special education groups

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research was to study how children’s play behaviour was related to their cognitive skills and vocabulary development in integrated early childhood special education (ECSE) groups. The longitudinal study is part of the LASSO research project, which concerns children’s stress regulation, learning and quality of early childhood education, including special education. Children with and without special needs should be supported according to their diversity of individual needs as equal members of a learning community. The study aimed to discover how this was realised by assessing children’s various learning paths. The data were collected between 2012 and 2015 and involved 289 children, including 121 with special educational needs (SEN). The children’s cognitive skills and vocabulary were measured with standardised psychological tools: the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) and the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY). Play behaviour was evaluated with the Preschool Play Behaviour Scale (PPBS). In this study, we hypothesised that progress in children’s social play boosts cognitive functions and duly boosts learning. The results indicated that all skills improved for all of the children during the research period, although there were differences in results between children's status groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Special educational needs (SEN)
• early childhood special education (ECSE)
• play behaviour
• cognitive skills
• vocabulary

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation; Jenny ja Antti Wihurin Rahasto.

Notes on contributors

Jonna Kesäläinen

Jonna Kesäläinen is a PhD student at the University of Helsinki. Her research is in the field of early childhood special education focusing on children’s learning, temperament and stress regulation.

Eira Suhonen

Eira Suhonen is an adjunct professor at the University of Helsinki. Her main research interest is in early childhood special education. She has focused in her research on play and early intervention. She is also specialized in analyses of biomarkers of stress response regulation in children.

Alisa Alijoki

Alisa Alijoki is University Lecturer at the University of Helsinki. Her main research interest is in early childhood special education. She has focused in her research on early intervention.

Nina Sajaniemi

Nina Sajaniemi is a professor of early education and a clinical neuropsychologist. Her areas of expertise are in developmental sciences and in educational psychology. Her research interests are in stress regulation, interaction, social behaviour and pedagogical sensitivity.