Peer opinions regarding individual differences and social acceptance of the children with special needs in the preschool period

The aim of this study is to examine the opinions of typically developed peers in the preschool period on individual differences and social acceptance for the children with special needs in the inclusion environments. The research used qualitative Phenomenology research design. The study included 13 typically developing children in the 5-6 age group attending to two-state preschools. In the study, data was collected through a semi-structured interview technique which is presented by storytelling and finger puppet presentation and in-class observation. Content analysis was used by employing the Nvivo program. According to the results of the interview with peers; they often expressed empathic feelings about sadness, anxiety, anger, loneliness, and despair related to their feelings towards children with special needs. Besides, while peers explained their thoughts about the children with special needs, they often talked about positive thoughts such as being sensitive, helping or showing tolerance, while they often expressed negative thoughts such as demonstrating problem behavior, being in low expectation, and mocking. In the classroom observations, it was noted that negative thoughts came to the fore due to problem behaviors. When the results were examined in terms of peer acceptance, only one of the peers in the first interview stated that they accepted, four accepted and rejected, and eight rejected. In confirming interviews, five of the peers stated that they accepted, two accepted and rejected, and six rejected. Keywords: Pre-school period, Social acceptance, Individual differences, Peer relations, Inclusion.