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International Journal of Inclusive

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A comparison of social skills in Turkish

children with visual impairments,
children with intellectual impairments
and typically developing children
a

Ufuk Ozkubat & Selda Ozdemir

Special Education Department, Gazi University, Ankara 06500,

Turkey
Published online: 16 May 2013.

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To cite this article: Ufuk Ozkubat & Selda Ozdemir (2014) A comparison of social skills
in Turkish children with visual impairments, children with intellectual impairments and
typically developing children, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 18:5, 500-514, DOI:
10.1080/13603116.2013.789088
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International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2014

Vol. 18, No. 5, 500 514, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2013.789088

A comparison of social skills in Turkish children with visual

impairments, children with intellectual impairments and typically
developing children
Ufuk Ozkubat and Selda Ozdemir

Downloaded by [Universidad De Concepcion] at 11:28 09 May 2015

Special Education Department, Gazi University, Ankara 06500, Turkey

(Received 13 September 2012; final version received 13 March 2013)
The purpose of this study was to compare the social skills of five groups of children:
children with visual impairments attending inclusive education schools, children
with visual impairments attending schools for the blind, children with intellectual
impairments attending inclusive education schools, children with intellectual
impairments attending segregated special education schools, and typically
developing children. A hundred and sixty-nine children aged from 7 to 12
participated in the study. The childrens social skills were rated by their teachers
on the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) Turkish Form. The results
suggested significant group differences between children attending inclusive
education schools and children attending special education schools. Analysis of
the findings indicated that children with visual impairments and children with
intellectual impairments had poorer social skills than typically developing
children; however children with visual impairments and children with intellectual
impairments attending inclusive education schools had higher social skills than
children attending segregated special education schools. The findings of the
study were discussed and suggestions for future research were provided.
Keywords: social skills; inclusive education; visual impairments; intellectual
impairments

During the past several decades, awareness regarding the segregation of students with
special needs on the basis of disability has created a strong movement towards developing an inclusive education system (Dymond 2001). The inclusive education system is
based on creating a service delivery model that facilitates each students learning and
access to equitable education (Odom 2000; Odom and McEvoy 1990; Polat 2011;
Rotheram et al. 2010; Ruijs and Pectsma 2009; Symes and Humphrey 2010).
Current research indicates that in order to develop successful inclusive education
programmes, it is important to promote social and emotional well-being of all students
and facilitate an increased quality of life for students with special needs (Jones and
Frederickson 2010; Townsend and Hassall 2006).
To accommodate the diversity that exists in many schools today and promote social
emotional development of children with special needs, schools must explicitly support
positive peer relations and support childrens social functioning (Demir 2009; Gresham
1997; Jindal 2005; Ozdemir et al. 2011). Clearly, one of the greatest barriers to learning

Corresponding author. Email: seldaozdemir@gazi.edu.tr

# 2013 Taylor & Francis

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International Journal of Inclusive Education

501

positive social skills for children with and without special needs is the lack of opportunity to interact with one another. Sucuoglu and Ciftci (2001) stated that most typically
developing children learn social skills incidentally through their interactions with their
caregivers and peers. Observation and imitation are the most powerful learning mechanisms for children when learning new social skills from one another (Avcioglu 2001;
Ozdemir 2010; Rutherford et al. 1992). When children are reinforced and receive positive social feedback while displaying positive social behaviours, it is likely that they
will achieve the desirable social outcomes in time (Frederickson et al. 2007).
Over the years, a large body of research has accumulated on the effects of inclusive
education for children with special needs on their social development (Jones and
Frederickson 2010; Peters 2004). Despite some inconsistencies across studies, broad
conclusions are now possible about the social outcomes of the inclusive education.
Several researchers argue that integrating children with and without special needs in
the same educational setting is sufficient enough to increase positive experiences for
learning and socialisation (Wolery et al. 1994). Ruijs and Pectsma (2009) asserted
that children who have access to inclusive education settings learn to respect individual
differences, value others opinions, develop play skills, positive peer relations, and
promote positive self-concept. The researchers have been noted that inclusive education
increases positive attitudes towards children with special needs, create more opportunities for observational learning, and promote all childrens development within a
rich and multifaceted curriculum and interactive setting (Fently, Miller, and Lampi
2008; Ferguson 2008). In contrast to these aspects of the inclusion, some researchers
stressed that the weak social skill outcomes of inclusive education can be attributed
to the fact that inclusive education practices do not always provide necessary social,
emotional, and academic support services for students with special needs (Cosbey
and Johnston 2006; Rosenbulum 1998).
Considerable research has documented that children with special needs are at a
greater risk for social, emotional, and behavioural problems throughout their development (Jones and Frederickson 2010; Lewis, Trushell, and Woods 2005). The distinct
problems that children with special needs encounter in social relations pose challenges for professionals who work with this population. Compared with typically
developing children, children with special needs present unique profiles of ability
to acquire various social skills (Townsend and Hassal 2006). For example, children
with visual impairments have significant limitations in discriminating visual cues,
imitating non-verbal body movements, and receiving feedback from others (Kekelis
1992; MacCuspie 1996; McGaha and Farran 2001). Likewise, children with intellectual disabilities have cognitive impairments that affect memory skills, attention and
generalisation abilities, resulting in difficulties learning appropriate social skills
(Hall, Schlesinger, and Dineen 1997; Huang and Cuvo 1997; Sargent 1991). Even
though many cognitive, psychological, and environmental mechanisms have been
implicated in the development of social skill problems, childrens scheme of social
skill difficulties distinguishes (important implications for inclusive education outcomes) treatment efficacy of social skill interventions. Because of the heterogeneity
in children with special needs, it is critical to characterise the nature and extent of
deficits in social skills. Measurement of social skills can address a broad array of
skills, therefore exploring developmental profiles of social skills can contribute to
teaching appropriate social skills that foster these childrens peer relations and adjustment to the inclusive classroom environment (Freund and Reiss 1991; Macintosh and
Dissanayake 2006).

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U. Ozkubat and S. Ozdemir

Social skills can be assessed through a variety of techniques, including observations

semi-structured interviews, self-assessment scales, sociometric assessments, and
behaviour rating scales (Merrell 2001). A number of standardised behaviour rating
scales exist that can be used to assess childrens social skills and competency. Probably
the most common behaviour rating scale used in clinical and educational assessments is
the SSRS (Diperna and Volpe 2005; Rich, Shepherd, and Nangle 2008). The SSRS is a
norm-referenced tool that focuses on social skills, problem behaviours, and academic
competency of children between the ages of 6 and 12. The scale provides a multirater assessment of a students social behaviour and has been widely used to assess
social skills of children with special needs (Buhrow, Hartshorne, and BradleyJohnson 1998; Sucuoglu and Ozokcu 2005), to design appropriate social skills teaching
(SST) programmes (Meimer, DiPerna, and Oster 2006; Miller, Lane, and Wehby 2005;
Silver, Elder, and DeBolt 1999), and to evaluate the effectiveness of the SSTs (Celeste
2007; Lane, Givner, and Pierson 2004; Mathews, Fawcett, and Sheldon 2009).
Researchers in a number of studies have examined the social skill profiles of children with visual impairments and effects of interventions on childrens social skills
(Buhrow, Hartshorne, and Bradley-Johnson 1998). In general, they have found that
children with visual impairments rated by their teachers as displaying less academic
competence and more problem behaviours than their typically developing peers
(Buhrow, Hartshorne, and Bradley-Johnson 1998). The primary purpose in obtaining
information about social skill profiles of children with visual impairments is to
provide a child with treatment and gather information about response to treatment.
Direct instruction, peer-mediated social skill interventions, and positive behaviour
support strategies have been used commonly in the social skills literature (Buhrow,
Hartshorne, and Bradley-Johnson 1998; Celeste 2007; Jindal 2004; Schut 1991). For
example, Celeste (2007) employed a social skills intervention programme with children
with visual impairments and reported that childrens social interactions and time they
spent in playing were improved as a result of the intervention programme. Likewise,
Jindal (2004) conducted a social skills intervention with children with visual impairments. The researcher reported that self-evaluation improved, generalised, and maintained social skills of children with visual impairments. In another study, Jindal
(2004) examined the effectiveness of self-evaluation and the role of feedback in the
direction of gaze, conversation, and positive social behaviours. Study results showed
that self-evaluation was effective in increasing social skills and interactions of girls
with visual impairments.
In contrast to small but growing number of studies on the social skill interventions
for children with visual impairments, research literature on teaching social skills to children with intellectual impairments has become extensive (Cosbey and Johnston 2006;
Huang and Cuvo 1997; Luiselli et al. 2005). A large number of studies using different
teaching techniques such as direct instruction, cognitive behavioural training, peermediated interventions, modelling and drama have been successfully utilised in the
school and home settings and have been implemented with individuals or with
groups of children (Guralnick 2006; Hodges and Keller 1999; Lane, Givner, and
Pierson 2004; Rutherford et al. 1992; Williams and Reisberg 2003). A majority of
these interventions reported positive effects on the social skills and social interactions
of children with intellectual impairments (Fisher and Haufe 2009; Mathews, Fawcett,
and Sheldon 2009; Miller, Lane, and Wehby 2005). For example, Mathews, Fawcett,
and Sheldon (2009) conducted a study on the effectiveness of social skills training and
peer coaching in increasing social skills of children with low levels of verbal

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International Journal of Inclusive Education

503

communication and social interactions. Their results indicated that social skills training
along with peer coaching were effective in increasing social interaction and communication skills of the children with at risk for developing intellectual impairments. In
addition, Fisher and Haufe (2009) found that Social Stories were effective in developing sharing and turn-taking skills of children with intellectual impairments. Miller,
Lane, and Wehby (2005) found that a school-based social skills programme was beneficial in decreasing inappropriate classroom behaviours, increasing time spent on academic activities, and increasing social behaviours in the classroom.
Limited number of studies has been conducted in Turkey to examine the social skill
profiles of children with visual impairments (Ozdemir 2009; Ozdemir and Ataman 2010;
Ozdemir et al. 2011) and other disabilities (Sucuoglu and Ozokcu 2005). Study results in
general showed that Turkish teachers perceive students with visual impairments as more
impaired than typically developing peers (Ozdemir 2009; Ozdemir and Ataman 2010;
Ozdemir et al. 2011). Turkish teachers also reported that they perceived students with
special needs as having less positive social skills and more problem behaviours than typically developing peers (Sucuoglu and Ozokcu 2005).
As noted earlier, children with visual impairments often demonstrate social skill
problems and such problems negatively affect their relationships with peers. On the
other hand, research in general suggests that attending inclusive education settings
can enhance childrens social skills by providing them with more social interaction
opportunities (Baker et al. 2002, 2003; Symes and Humphrey 2010). Indeed, one of
the major purposes of education is to identify childrens social emotional strengths
and weaknesses and provide appropriate intervention from the early ages through
inclusion. Thus, an important extension of the literature is to assess the effects of the
educational settings on social skills of children with special needs. Do Turkish children
with special needs develop better social skills in inclusive educational settings? Even
though the answer to this question may seem obvious for many researchers, it requires
a strong body of evidence within the context of Turkish culture.
Therefore, the purposes of the current study were twofold: to compare the social
skills of children with visual impairments, children with intellectual impairments,
and typically developing children and to assess whether social skills of children with
special needs change across educational settings. The following research questions
were addressed:
1. Do the social skills of children with visual impairments differ significantly from
those of their typically developing peers?
2. Do the social skills of children with visual impairments differ significantly based
on their educational settings?
3. Do social skills of children with intellectual impairments differ significantly
from those of their typically developing peers?
4. Do the social skills of children with intellectual impairments differ significantly
based on their educational settings?

Method
Participants
A total of 169 children participated in the study. Participants were recruited from public
elementary schools located in Istanbul. These children were divided into five groups:

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U. Ozkubat and S. Ozdemir

children with visual impairments attending inclusive education classrooms, children

with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education classrooms, children with
visual impairments attending schools for children with visual impairments, children
with intellectual impairments attending schools for children with intellectual impairments, and typically developing children. All participants were between the ages of
7 and 12 and each study group consisted of 34 children on average. Table 1 shows
the distribution of the participants by age, gender, grade level, and the study group.
Children with visual impairments attending inclusive education classrooms group
included 16 boys (M age 9 years, 5 months, SD 9 months) and 16 girls (M age
9 years, 1 month, SD 10 months), children with visual impairments attending
schools for the blind group included 17 boys (M age 10 years, 1 month, SD 4
months) and 16 girls (M age 9 years, 6 months, SD 7 months), children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education schools group included 18 boys
(M age 9 years, 11 months, SD 4 months) and 17 girls (M age 9 years, 4
months, SD 6 months), children with intellectual impairments attending segregated
special education schools group included 17 boys (M age 8 years, 11 months, SD
7 months) and 17 girls (M age 9 years, 9 months, SD 3 months) and typically
developing children group included 17 boys (M age 9 years, 5 months, SD 4
months) and 18 girls (M age 10 years, 2 months, SD 6 months). All socio-economic status (SES) represented in the sample were reported as middle class by the entire
set of participants. Total household income for the sample ranged from $10,000 to
above $19,000 per year, with the median at $14,000.

The Social Skills Rating System

The SSRS was developed by Gresham and Elliot (1990) to obtain teacher information
regarding social skills, problem behaviours, and academic competencies of children
between the ages of 6 and 12. The scale includes 57 questions that are divided into
Table 1. Distributions of children in the study group.
Variable
Study group

Age (9.580 + 0.116)

Gender

TDC
CIISS
CIIIS
CVVS
CVIS
7
8
9
10
11
12
Girls
Boys

35
34
35
33
32
18
31
39
39
21
21
84
85

20.7
20.1
20.7
19.5
18.9
10.7
18.3
23.1
23.1
12.4
12.4
49.7
50.3

Note: TDC, Typically Developing Children; CIISS, Children with Intellectual Impairments Attending
Segregated Special Education Schools; CIIIS, Children with Intellectual Impairments Attending Inclusive
Education Schools; CVVS, Children with Visual Impairments Attending Schools for the Blind; CVIS,
Children with Visual Impairments Attending Inclusive Schools.

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International Journal of Inclusive Education

505

three subscales: Social Skills Scale (SSS), Problem Behaviours Scale (PBS), and Academic Competence Scale (ACS). The frequency of each item was delineated on a
3-point Likert scale ranging from never or rarely (0), to often (1), and to very often
(2), with higher scores indicative of greater social skills.
The SSRS was translated into Turkish by Sucuoglu and Ozokcu (2005) and has
been applied to a sample group of 613 children. The reliability and validity of the
Turkish Form were established in the study. The reliability of the scale was tested by
calculating Cronbach alpha coefficients. For the SSS, Cronbach alpha coefficient
was found to be .96, for the PBS Cronbach alpha coefficient was .90, and for the
ACS Cronbach alpha coefficient was found to be .97. Overall, these results indicated
a reliable consistency of the scale. Confirmatory factor analysis also supported the
structural validity of the SSRS Turkish Form with a normative sample. As a result of
varimax rotation, the factor structure was found to be well established. Specifically,
items which had factor loadings more than .30 and were involved in only one factor
were included in the scale. All these reliability and validity tests results indicated
that the measurement model was highly reliable and valid (Sucuoglu and Ozokcu
2005).
Procedure
For the recruitment of participating children in the five study groups, teachers and
school administrators from public elementary schools were contacted through site
visits and provided with permission letter obtained from the National Ministry of Education explaining the study. In each school, teachers who had students diagnosed with
visual impairments and students with intellectual impairments were explained about the
study. Among the 142 teachers contacted, 138 agreed to join the study. Finally, for the
typically developing children group, the teachers of participating children with special
needs attending inclusive classrooms were asked to randomly select typically developing children from their class list to participate. A random sampling technique was
employed for the selection of the sample group of typically developing children.
In this study, the SSRS Turkish Form was used to obtain teacher information
regarding the social skill competencies of participating children. The teachers screened
the study participants social skills on a set of three behavioural criteria that are strongly
associated with the social skills, behavioural problems, and academic competence.
Finally, the teachers of the children were presented the SSRS by the researcher. The
researcher explained the use of the SRSS to each teacher individually and collected
the teachers responses to all questions.
Results
In order to examine the differences between the mean social scores of the study groups,
an independent sample t-test was used for the statistical analysis.
Social skill differences between children with visual impairments and typically
developing children
SSS scores of children with visual impairments who were attending inclusive education
classrooms and schools for children with visual impairments were compared to their
typically developing peers. An independent samples t-test was used to examine the

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U. Ozkubat and S. Ozdemir

Table 2. t-Test results to compare the mean social skills scores of children with CVIS and
TDC.
t-Test
Score

Groups

x

SS

Shx

SD

Social skills score

TDC
CVIS

35
32

49.66
38.37

6.06
9.84

1.02
1.74

5.706

65

.000

Table 3. t-Test results to compare the social skills scores of children with CVVS and TDC.

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t-Test
Score

Groups

x

SS

Shx

SD

Social skills score

TDC
CVVS

35
33

49.66
28.97

6.06
9.09

1.02
1.58

11.104

66

.000

differences between the mean social skill scores of the children with visual impairments
attending inclusive education classrooms and the typically developing peers. The
results shown in Table 2 indicate that the social skill levels of the typically developing
children were significantly higher than the social skills of children with visual impairments attending inclusive education schools (t 5.706; p , .001).
An independent samples t-test was conducted to compare the social skill scores of
children with visual impairments attending schools for the blind and the typically developing peers of two groups. The results are given in Table 3.
Study results shown in Table 3 indicated that the social skills of typically developing children were significantly higher than the children with visual impairments attending schools for blind (t 11.104; p , .001).

Social skill differences between children with visual impairments attending

inclusive education schools and children with visual impairments attending
schools for the blind
An independent samples t-test was conducted to compare the social skills of children
with visual impairments attending inclusive education schools and children with
visual impairments attending schools for the blind. The results showed that the
social skill scores of children with visual impairments attending inclusive education
classrooms were significantly higher than the social skill scores of children with
visual impairments attending schools for the blind (t 24.006; p , .001) (Table 4).
Table 4. t-Test results to compare the social skills of children with CVIS and CVVS.
t-Test
Score

Groups

x

SS

Shx

SD

Social skills score

CVVS
CVIS

33
32

28.97
38.37

9.09
9.84

1.58
1.74

24.006

63

.000

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507

Social skill differences between children with intellectual impairments and

typically developing children
In order to examine the differences between the mean social skill scores of children
with intellectual impairments and typically developing children, an independent
samples t-test was used. The results which are shown in Tables 5 and 6 indicate that
typically developing children had significantly higher social skills than children with
intellectual impairments attending segregated special education schools.
As can be seen from Table 5, the results indicated that typically developing children
had significantly higher social skill scores than children with intellectual impairments
attending segregated special education schools (t 22.615; p , .001).
Table 6 shows that typically developing children had significantly higher social
skills than children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education
schools (t 22.192; p , .001).

Social skill differences between children with intellectual impairments attending

inclusive education schools and children with intellectual impairments attending
segregated special education schools
Social skill scores of children with intellectual impairments attending segregated
special education schools and children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education settings are given in Table 7.
Table 5. t-Test results to compare the mean social skills scores of children with CIISS and
TDC.
t-Test
Score

Groups

x

SS

Shx

SD

Social skills score

TDC
CIISS

35
34

49.66
11.76

6.06
7.78

1.02
1.33

22.615

67

.000

Table 6. t-Test results to compare the mean social skills scores of children with CIIIS and
TDC.
t-Test
Score

Groups

x

SS

Shx

SD

Social skills score

TDC
CIIIS

35
35

49.66
18.86

6.06
5.54

1.02
0.94

22.192

68

.000

Table 7. t-Test results to compare the social skills of children with CIISS and CIIIS.
t-Test
Score

Groups

x

SS

Shx

SD

Social skills score

CIISS
CIIIS

34
35

11.76
18.86

7.78
5.54

1.33
0.94

24.372

67

.000

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U. Ozkubat and S. Ozdemir

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Children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education schools had

significantly higher social skill scores than children with intellectual impairments
attending segregated special education schools (t 24.372; p , .001).
Discussion
This study compared the social skill differences of five groups of children with visual
impairments attending inclusive education schools, children with visual impairments
attending schools for the blind, children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education schools, children with intellectual impairments attending segregated
special education schools, and typically developing children. Turkish childrens
social skills were measured using the SSRS Turkish Form. Teacher ratings on the
SSRS were compared across educational settings of the participating children. Findings
from the study suggested that the teachers rated both children with visual impairments
and children with intellectual impairments attending segregated educational settings as
having poorer social skills than typically developing children and children with visual
impairments and children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education
schools.
The preliminary results of this study indicate that Turkish teachers rated typically
developing children as being more socially competent than children with special
needs. This finding is consistent with the research showing that social skills of children
with special needs are more impaired than their typically developing peers (Buhrow,
Hartshorne, and Bradley-Johnson 1998; Gresham and Reschly 1988). Several studies
also suggest that children with special needs are more likely to experience emotional
and behavioural problems than typically developing children (Einfeld and Tonge
1996). In fact, most studies reported that social skills of children with mild intellectual
impairments are in general two standard deviations below the mean of typically developing peers (Gresham and Elliot 1987).
Consistent with the findings gathered in Western cultures, studies conducted in
Turkey suggest the social skill deficits among Turkish children with special needs.
Specifically, researchers have shown that Turkish children with intellectual impairments had more impaired social skills than typically developing children and they
experience more peer rejection than typically developing peers (Uysal 2003). Furthermore, Sucuoglu and Ozokcu (2005) reported that the social skills of children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education settings were poorer than the social
skills of their typically developing peers. However, girls with intellectual impairments
received higher ratings on the social skill scores when compared to boys with intellectual impairments. Other researchers have also found similar findings in Turkish children with visual impairments. Ozdemir and Ataman (2010) in their study of problem
behaviours of children with visual impairments reported that teachers ranked their students with visual impairments as exhibiting characteristics of internalising problems
more than typically developing students. Findings by Ozdemir (2009) also support
that Turkish teachers perceive students with visual impairments attending segregated
education settings as more impaired than typically developing peers. These results in
general suggest that Turkish children with special needs may have more impaired
social skills than typically developing children (Ozdemir 2009; Ozdemir and Ataman
2010; Ozdemir et al. 2011).
Available studies in Turkey do not clearly show whether attending inclusive education is associated with increased social skills or not (Odluyurt and Batu 2010;

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509

Sazak 2003). It is well known that a major prerequisite for children who are developing
friendships with their peers is that they have to be in close proximity with peers (Hartup
and Lougee 1975). Overall, with the increasing number of inclusive education settings
in Turkey, Turkish students with special needs have frequent opportunity to interact
with typically developing peers, and therefore they may be more likely to develop
friendships with peers, both with and without special needs.
It is well known that children with special needs have had to endure a history of
rejection and forced segregation within many societies (Manetti, Schneider, and Siperstein 2001). A large number of students with special needs have continued to be
excluded from participating educational settings by their typically developing peers.
The current educational trend in Turkey is towards developing an inclusive educational
system for students with mild and moderate special needs. Considerable evidence has
indicated that many Turkish parents and teachers of students with special needs have
concerns about the lack of support services and lack of access to inclusive curriculum
(Batu and Kircaali-Iftar 2010; Uysal 2003). Even though inclusive education practices
were criticised for many reasons in Turkey, the percentage of the children with special
needs served in the inclusive education classrooms has risen steadily. Consistently,
researchers argue that educators should focus on promoting successful inclusive education models rather than concluding that inclusion is not detrimental to students and
provide implicitly less quantifiable benefits.
To further evaluate the inclusive education setting as a variable for social skills
development, this study compared the social skill levels of children, as assessed by
the teacher ratings on the SSRS, in five groups: children with visual impairments
attending segregated education, children with visual impairments attending inclusive
education, children with intellectual impairments attending segregated education, children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education, and typically developing children. Study results showed that both children with visual impairments and
children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education, demonstrated significantly higher levels of social skills than children with special needs attending segregated special education schools. These results suggest that inclusive education may
play an important role in facilitating social skills development in childhood. It is important to note that the decision about inclusion was made on an individual basis in Turkey.
Unfortunately, there is no credential and uniform assessment procedure used in the
decision process and it is very common to see high functioning children with visual
impairments attending the schools for the blind.
The present study findings also indicate that having more social interaction opportunities may be an important factor in social functioning of children with visual impairments and children with intellectual impairments. Mahoney and Perales (2008)
explained that if children have more positive social interaction experiences appropriate
to their developmental level then transition to the next developmental level can be seen
as a natural developmental process and therefore the most appropriate way to support
development of children is to expose them to experience more positive social interaction experiences. It is important to note that traditional segregated special education
schools create fewer opportunities for children to learn necessary social skills and such
social barriers may contribute to childrens problems with learning appropriate social
skills (Akkok 1999).
Although the findings of the present study have valuable implications for inclusive
education practitioners and researchers, several issues related to success of the inclusive
education practices must be noted. In particular, Turkish teachers have consistently

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U. Ozkubat and S. Ozdemir

reported lack of training, materials, and personnel as the key barriers to successful
inclusion (Batu and Kircaali-Iftar 2010; Kargin 2004; Uysal 2003). Furthermore, the
lack of collaboration between special education and general educator teachers in
Turkey hinders many students access to individualised instruction (Odluyurt and
Batu 2010). Despite the ongoing problems, the results of the current study are promising and suggest that inclusive education have positive outcomes on the social development of children with special needs. In the light of this study findings, we may assume
that when inclusive education practices have been carefully developed and
implemented, Turkish children with and without special needs would benefit from
the social learning environments that inclusive education facilitates.
Overall, this study was conducted to build upon the existing knowledge about the
social skills of Turkish children with special needs and in particular to develop an
understanding of the effects of the inclusive education practices. However, in the findings of this study, there are some limitations that need to be considered. First, data
describing the childrens social skills were based on teacher ratings, without corroborating evidence such as parent ratings, self-reports, and direct observation of social
skills. Second, lack of geographic variability of the educational settings limits the validity of the findings. Even though the study included diverse groups of children, the
data were gathered only in one city, Istanbul. Nevertheless, although additional
measures are needed to validate the study outcomes, current study findings have
increased our understanding of the social skills of Turkish children with special
needs and effects of inclusive education practices.
To summarise, the findings of the present study are consistent with other research,
suggesting that inclusive settings promote social skills development of children with
special needs just like their typically developing peers (Bunch and Valeo 2004;
Dowing 1996; Nowicki and Sandieson 2002). Compared to the literature concerning
social skills of children with special needs, very few studies have addressed the
social skill differences between children with special needs attending inclusive education settings and children attending segregated special education schools. Additional
research is needed to further clarify social skills of children with special needs and
important variables that effect childrens social skills. Clearly, there are many unanswered questions towards successful implementation of the inclusive education that
provides a unified system to support the social emotional and academic needs of all
students.
Notes on contributors
Ufuk Ozkubat holds a masters degree from Special Education and is a doctoral candidate in
the Special Education Department at Gazi University, Turkey. He has been a special education
teacher since 2007. His research includes designing inclusive education programmes for children with special needs. His other research interests focus on social skills of children with
special needs including autism spectrum disorders, visual impairments and specific learning
disabilities.
Selda Ozdemir is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey. Prior to joining Gazi University, she received her masters degree in
Special Education from Syracuse University (2001) and Ph.D. degree in Special Education
from Arizona State University (2006). Her research interests focus primarily on two lines of
inquiry: research leading to a better understanding of social emotional difficulties in children
with special needs and designing effective interventions to improve childrens social
development.

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