Construction and Understanding of the "Prohibitory Rules" and "Regulatory Rules" of Children; - One Key to Social Inclusion among Peers?

Integration of disabled children has been a goal in kindergartens and primary schools for nearly twenty years in Norway. In spite of that, the deba in media, among professionals and in the research area are telling us about social isolated children, children neglected by peer s, and som parents call for new special schools. This paper introduce some of the findings from a participant observational study focusing on face-to-face-interaction among children with and without disabili ties aged 3 - 7years in municipal kindergartens. Social interaction a nd friendship among peers, seems to be regulated by interaction rules negotiated and created by the children in concrete everyday situatio ns. These behaviors can be categorised in two categories; "prohibitor y rules" and "regulatory rules"; the first one telling : "You must... " and the second telling: "You must not....". Children not getting ac cess to the creation of these rules or children breaking the rules mi ght be excluded by peers. "Ponderous" or just "collapsed" interaction among peers seems to be linked to the same "rules" both for ordinary and disabled children.