The purpose of the study was to examine whether or not the presence of one close friendship would produce a connection between the social skills of students with disabilities and peer acceptance. The study used the results of two experimental groups each containing both students with and without disabilities. In one of the groups the teachers were instructed to implement a program called “Special Friends”. In this “Special Friends” program the curriculum was designed to increase positive attitudes towards disabilities within the classroom. In the other group the teachers were instructed to implement a science focused curriculum. The “Special Friends” program would read and discuss books with a focus on disability- related content while the science program would use material with science-related content. Even though it was hypothesised that the number of friendships formed would increase as a result of the “Special Friends” program, Meyer concluded, “that inclusion in and of itself does not equate to increased acceptance, classroom membership or peer relationships,” (Meyer & Ostrosky, 2015) limiting the further social development of students with …show more content…
According to Blake Hansen (2016), "Self-monitoring is one of the best skills for these students to learn” (n.p.). In the study, Hansen picked out students with intellectual disabilities who would seemingly benefit from the use of self-monitoring techniques. The structure of the self-monitoring techniques was fairly straightforward, consisting of two parts; the teacher modeling the desired techniques and the students then putting the techniques into action. Every time the student succeeded in following the teacher 's directions, the student assigned to self-monitoring would mark a square with a sticker on their progress sheet. When the student had filled a particular number of squares on the progress sheet, the student was then given a reward. These rewards consisted of either a desired toy or a break from their studies (Wadsworth, Hansen, & Wills, 2016). Generating positive results, the study illustrated a way to improve desired behaviour amongst students with disabilities in the