Preschool Early Intervention Outcomes in Different Community Based Settings

Background:  Despite the requirement in the United States to provide free and appropriate public education for young children with ASD in the least restrictive environment suitable for their needs, there is little research comparing the impact of settings of varying restrictiveness where interventions are delivered (Parsons et al., 2011). Consistent opportunities to interact with typically developing peers often are a recommended practice for young children with ASD (e.g., Koegel et al., 2009). Studies of inclusive preschool programs for children with ASD suggest that preschoolers with ASD can make gains in cognitive, academic, language, functional and social skills when placed with their typically developing peers. However, there is debate as to the appropriateness of inclusive settings for children with ASD. Most research to date of early interventions programs has investigated interventions delivered in more segregated settings (home and clinic based individual services or ASD specific classrooms). These settings do not routinely offer opportunities to interact with neurotypical peers, and have not compared inclusive to non-inclusive settings. However recent research has suggested that inclusive preschool intervention may be particularly beneficial for some children with ASD (Nahmias et al., 2012).

Objectives: To examine the main effects of receiving preschool early intervention in one of four educational settings that vary in their level of restrictiveness (Home, ASD-only, Mixed disability, or Inclusion).

Methods: Participants are 115 children with ASD (Mean age = 45.5 months, 80.9% Male, 46.1% Black/African American) that receive intervention services through a public preschool early intervention system. Participants are assessed at study enrollment and 9 months later with a standardized developmental assessment of cognitive and language skills (the Mullen Scales of Early Learning). Parents and teachers also completed questionnaires assessing the child’s adaptive behavior and social skills (Adaptive Behavior Assessment System- 2^nd Edition; Social Skills Improvement System). Data collection and analysis are ongoing. Preliminary results based on 60 participants are presented below, using repeated measures ANCOVA to assess for changes over time by setting, controlling for baseline differences.

Results: Based on adjusted analyses, groups did not differ in their improvement over time in their cognitive, expressive or receptive language, adaptive behavior, or social skills (all ps ³ .3, η_p2s £ .08).

Conclusions: These results suggest preschoolers with ASD on average may make equivalent gains across different types of early intervention settings. These findings provide substance to the argument that inclusive settings are well suited for children with ASD, suggested that children can do as well in inclusive settings as segregated settings. Moderator analyses are planned to assess whether there are child characteristics associated with increased benefit from attending a particular type of setting.