Children’s developing disability concepts: A review and recommendations for continued research

Abstract

Concepts of persons with disabilities, the largest minority group in the United States, have received little attention in psychological science. Yet, such work can have significant societal and scientific implications. In this paper, we review three areas in which research on children’s developing concepts of disabilities is especially promising, including research on concepts of human abilities and biology, impressions and evaluations of behavior, and social essentialism. We introduce and describe traditional research in each of these areas, then describe and integrate work on concepts of disability that contributes uniquely and impactfully to these areas. Along the way, we pose questions and future directions for studies of disability concepts, which we hope will inspire continued work on these topics for decades to come.