’Jag är ju också doktor ju’: En studie i lek och samspel mellan förskolebarn med och utan funktionshinder.

The objective of the dissertation is to describe and analyse the processes of interaction and play strategies in spontaneous play in a group of children with and without a disability. Special emphasis is given to aspects that are important for children in their development of social skills. Furthermore the dissertation focuses on the importance of the child carer’s role in the children’s interaction.

The study shows that there are immense differences in the strategies children take when playing and in how independent they are of adults. The boy with the minor disability was more eager to seek contact than his peers. He exhibited social difficulties including understanding his role in their play, identifying with his role, and understanding what the other children were feeling. The study shows that the strategies he chooses in order to be included in the game often do not lead to him being accepted in the game. He also has difficulty concentrating. The study also shows that the pedagogical interventions taken by the adults rarely lead to the boy being including in the other children’s play activities. However, the study cannot conclude whether it is the boy’s physical disability that impedes his participation in the play activities or whether other conditions are to blame.

Four play situations lasting 45 minutes were recorded on video. Three to four children aged between 4 and 5 were in each recording. A total of four boys and two girls participated.  One of the children has a minor disability. The data material was analysed on the basis of contact patterns and contact frequency, and the recordings were coded using the ISB scale (Individual Social Behavioral scale). The children’s play patterns were then subjected to a qualitative analysis.

Svedin, E. (2006). ’Jag är ju också doktor ju’: En studie i lek och samspel mellan förskolebarn med och utan funktionshinder. Stockholm: Lärarhögskolan.