Young children's understanding of physical disability

This small-scale study aims to explore the attitudes and understandings of non-disabled 7-year-old children in Cyprus towards children with physical impairments. Children can identify similarity and difference concerning
physical appearance from the age of four (Harter and Pike, 1984). However, little is known about how young children understand appearance difference with regards to their peers with physical disability (Avramidis and Norwich, 2010, Dyson, 2005). Children's limited understanding, lack of knowledge and the potential influences from their parents and peers can likely affect their attitudes, beliefs and understandings towards children with physical disabilities (Hardeep and McCarthy, 2014) with the possibility for them to adopt negative and prejudiced attitudes towards physical disability from a very early stage of their lives (Diamond, 2001). Participants were interviewed individually in a child-friendly, game-like process designed for this study involving simple tasks and
questions with the use of pictures of children with and without physical impairments and feelings cards. Parents, guardians and children gave their consent and participants were informed about the tasks before participation.
BERA (2011) and EECERA (2014) ethical guidelines were followed. In this paper, the theoretical framework of the study as well as the methods, tools, the design of the process, the early data analysis and initial main findings and insights will be discussed. Positive relationships and friendships between peers of different abilities can be beneficial for both disabled and non-disabled children which means that effort should be applied in order for them to accept the difference and reconsider any possible negative stance.