Education 2014, 4(2): 35-40 DOI: 10.5923/j.edu.20140402.04 Validating the Effects of Inclusive Childcare with the Interaction Rating Scale Anme T. 1,* , Tanaka E. 1 , Sugisawa Y. 2 , Matsumoto M. 3 , Watanabe T. 4 , Tomisaki E. 5 , Tokutake K. 1 , Miyazaki K. 6 , Edamoto S. 6 1 Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaragi, Japan 2 UsyukuCity, Ibaragi, Japan 3 Futaba Nursery, Tokyo, Japan 4 Faculty of Nursing, Ashikaga University, Tochigi, Japan 5 Sofia University, Tokyo, Japan 6 Rokokan, Osaka, Japan Abstract This study aimed to validate the effects of inclusion in center-based childcare, focusing on the inclusion of children with disabilities. One hundred thirty-eight 3 to 12-year-olds participated in this study. Participants were required to complete a 5-minute interaction session and were evaluated using the Interaction Rating Scale between Children (IRSC) as an evidence-based practical index of social skills. Significantly higher IRSC self-control scores were observed in interactions between typically developing children and children with disabilities than in normal children pairs. Additionally, behaviors reflecting the IRSC items, “explains his/her opinion logically” and “explains his/her opinion based on the level of competence/ability of the partner” were more frequently observed in interactions involving peers with disabilities than in those involving only typically developing peers. These results suggest that inclusive childcare may be effective in enhancing child social competence, especially self-control and flexibility/adaptability, depending on interaction partners’ needs for care. Keywords Inclusion, Interaction, Peer, Evaluation, Scale 1. Introduction In early childhood education and care, “inclusive childcare” describes the practice of including children with disabilities in a childcare setting with typically developing children of similar ages, with specialized instruction and support when needed. Children with special needs and typically developing children can both benefit from sharing learning environments and enjoy the rich experiences and relationships that inclusive childcare centers offer growing hearts and minds. Many studies all over the world have demonstrated that inclusion, done well, can be a very positive experience for both young children with special needs and their typically developing peers [1-3]. For example, children with special needs can learn and acquire valuable opportunities to practice various social skills in real-world situations by observing and interacting with other children of similar ages. Meanwhile, typically developing children can benefit immensely from interacting with a child with special needs * Corresponding author: anmet@md.tsukuba.ac.jp (Anme T.) Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/edu Copyright © 2014 Scientific & Academic Publishing. All Rights Reserved in their childcare program, as such interaction can help typically developing children develop an increased appreciation and acceptance of individual differences, as well as greater empathy for others. Studies have shown that children who continually interact with children with disabilities developed attitudes of acceptance and understanding not usually present in children who have not had such exposure [4-6]. Enhancing children’s social competence while they are young is both a tremendous responsibility and a privilege with potentially long-lasting effects. In fact, peer interactions provide opportunities for children to learn social skills from each other and understand rules for appropriate behaviors in different settings. Moreover, social relationships established through interactions are a major source of security and belonging [7]. Social competence is defined as the ability to understand others in the context of social interactions and engage in smooth communication with them. Thus, social competence must be evaluated according to the interactions an individual has with his/her social environment [8]. To enable practically effective, context-based evaluations of social competence throughout the lifespan, the Interaction Rating Scale between Children (IRSC) and Interaction Rating Scale Advanced (IRSA) were developed, with which