Preschool children's verbal responses and attitudes toward an adult with an orthopedic handicap

Preschool children were assessed to determine any differences in verbal responses or attitudes in play situations with an adult in a wheelchair as compared to an adult in a regular chair. Children were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (chair or wheelchair) in which they interacted with an examiner for two play tasks, reading and nerf basketball. Results indicated that children were able to identify a wheelchair and report that a person seated in a wheelchair could not walk. There were no differences in the children's ratings of persistence, play satisfaction, and mood when the examiner was seated in a chair or a wheelchair. Verbal responses differed between the two groups; in general, children tended to converse more and to discuss the play task more frequently when the examiner sat in a chair rather than a wheelchair. There was also a within subjects effect for play task indicating that the children were more likely to converse with the examiner during nerf basketball than reading.