Preschool environments differentially affect the behavior and development of handicapped youngsters. A specific quality or aspect of the environment can in part determine how children behave in that setting. It is therefore important that early childhood special educators tailor environmental provisions to match desired autcomes. This article describes five dimensions of children's behavior likely to be affected by environments: engagement, independence, aggression, social interaction, and happiness. Research and theory documenting the relationship between environments and behavior are reviewed and guidelines for matching changes in preschool environments to changes in child behavior are provided.

Matching Changes in Preschool Environments to Desired Changes in Child Behavior

Proximity to others is one environmental variable that is basic to persons exchanging social behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate if proximity to peers could reliably affect the occurrence of social behaviors exhibited by children with severe cognitive and physical deficits to similarly handicapped classmates. An alternating treatments design was used to compare the effects of three proximity arrangements on the socially oriented responses exhibited within three dyads of severely multiply handicapped students. A momentary time sample was used to assess the amount of time each subject engaged in head orientation, vocalizations, and gestures directed to a peer. The results indicated that the social responses increased as a function of closer prioximity. Social responses were observed more often at 1 ft than at 5 ft for all subjects, and more often at 5 ft than at 10 ft for 5 of the 6 subjects. The nature of the socially oriented behaviors measured is analyzed and discussed. The study has clinical implications for selective adaptive positioning of children with severe multiple handicaps to stimulate the occurrence of rudimentary social behaviors.

The Effects of Proximity on Socially Oriented Behaviors of Severely Multiply Handicapped Children.

Staff Ratios and Allocated Instructional Time for Multihandicapped.

Theory and research from the field of environmental psychology are reviewed. Implications regarding environmental programming for severely handicapped individuals are discussed. A challenge is issued to design for severely handicapped persons environments which are both manageable and consistent with normalization tenets.

Dixie Branner Baker

Papers

Applications of Environmental Psychology in Programming for Severely Handicapped Persons.