User:Florence Chinonyerem/sandbox

SOCIAL LIFE OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Just like other students in the learning environment, students with disabilities  have a social life. However, they are assumed to have lower social status and fewer friendships because of their disabilities. Based on the degrees of their disabilities, some are accepted, some are neglected and others, rejected. Those with high incidence disablity tend to be socially isolated¹ and because of this social failure, they begin to lead lives dominated by exclusion. The negative attitudes of fellow classmates and teachers can greatly affect the social life of students with disabilities as it makes them feel inferior to their counterparts with no disabilities.² Record has it that most students with complex disabilities encounters higher levels of social problems which has been attributed to anti-social behaviours when compared to their counterparts and having a symbiotic kind of friendships with peers is one fundamental way of improving a student's social, emotional and cognitive development.³ There are a lot of barriers hampering on the social involvement of students with disabilities and inferiority complex takes the lead. Other factors includes but not limited to peer acceptance problems that contribute to bullying and victimization as they often find it difficult navigating through their social life. These consequently leads to poor performance at school, problems with physical appearance and proper hygiene. ⁴ End Notes 1. T. W Farmer, C. M Hall, M. C Leung, D. B Estell, and D. S Brooks, Social Prominence and the Heterogeneity of Rejected Status in late Elementary School in School Psychology Quarterly, (2011). 26, 260, doi: 1 0.1 037/a00256. 2. L. Gething, J. Labour, and B. Wheeler, Attitudes of Nursing Home Administrator and Nurses towards People with Disabilities  in Journal of Rehabilitation,   (1994). 60 (4), 67. 3. P. A Alder, S. J.Bless, and P. Adler, Socialisation to Gender Roles: Popularity among Elementary School Boys and Girls in Sociology of Education, (1992). 65, 169. 4. S. R Asher, and J. D Coie, (Eds.) Peer Rejection in Childhood. Cambridge, (UK: Cambridge University Press,1990). 5. B. K Scheuermann, and J. A Webber, Autism: Teaching does make a difference. (Belmont, CA: Wads worth, 2002).