How Do We Support the Peer Acceptance of Children with Disabilities?

Teachers are often confronted with challenges when including children with disabilities in general education settings. One of these challenges is how to create a positive classroom climate in which children accept each other and form friendships. It is critical that teachers are knowledgeable about underlying factors that support the development of friendships among children and have access to professional development about research-based strategies such as selecting classroom materials to create a sense of belonging for all children, and interventions to support the formation of peer relationships and friendships. In this chapter, we discuss Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) as a framework for creating caring learning communities that promote the acceptance of all children (Tier 1), specifically illustrating a class-wide intervention. We also share resources for Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.