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This study aims to examine the effect of diagnostic labels on the responses of preservice early childhood teachers to the inclusion of children with special needs in general education classes. 228 preservice early childhood teachers, who participated in the study, answered the Demographic Information Form and the Teachers' Comfort and Concern Scale (TCCQ). The questionnaire consists of two formats in which vignettes are presented with and without a diagnosis label. As a result of the t-test and the Mann Whitney-U test applied to the data obtained from the six-points scale questions of TCCQ, it was observed that the comfort levels of the preservice teachers and their classroom adaptation and the need for support did not differ according to the presence or absence of the diagnostic labels, the type of child's disability, the grade level and the undergraduate program of the preservice teachers. According to the results of the inductive analysis conducted to the open-ended questions in the TCCQ, the participants felt positive/comfortable, negative/concerned and responsible for being teachers of children with special needs. They wanted to learn about children's characteristics and previous educational life before they attended the early childhood classroom.

Knowing how children who display normal development perceive their peers with special needs is key to preparing a better inclusive education and raising mindful generations. In this study, we aimed to investigate the attitudes of kindergarten children toward their peers with special needs. For this reason, The Acceptance Scale for Kindergarten-Revised (ASK-R) developed from Favazza, Ostrosky, Luing and Mouzourou [2014. "Accepted scale for kindergarten-Revised ASK-R" (2nd ed.). Establishing the efficacy of the Special Friends program (Grant number R324A080071). Washington, DC: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.] was adapted into Turkish. Participants were 144 children (M[subscript age]=61.86), including 76 girls and 69 boys from 10 kindergarten classrooms in the Giresun province, Turkey. Our results indicated that the Turkish version of the ASK-R scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool. Further, the children participating in the study showed a medium level of acceptance toward their peers with special needs, but not significant difference was found in the acceptance level of children who displayed normal development toward their peers with disabilities based on the 'gender' and 'existence of disabled children in the classroom' variables. The potential importance of using ASK-R in inclusive practices as well as study implications is addressed in the discussion.