Characteristics of children on the autism spectrum who benefit the most from receiving intervention in inclusive versus specialised early childhood education settings.

This study looked at 58 preschool children with autism who received early intervention in either mainstream classrooms (with typical children) or autism-only classrooms for one year. Overall, both settings worked similarly well. However, children who were already more interested in people and had stronger thinking skills showed better social communication progress in mainstream classrooms. This suggests some children might do better in inclusive settings based on their starting abilities.

This randomized controlled trial examined 58 preschool children with autism receiving the Group-Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM) in either inclusive or specialized autism-specific classrooms over one calendar year. While both settings showed similar overall outcomes for communication and social behavior, moderation analyses revealed important differences. Children with higher baseline social interest and nonverbal cognitive abilities demonstrated greater social communication improvements when placed in inclusive settings compared to specialized settings. These baseline characteristics did not predict differential outcomes for children in specialized classrooms, suggesting that inclusive environments may be particularly beneficial for certain subgroups of children on the autism spectrum.

Findings suggest educational placement decisions should consider child's baseline social interest and cognitive abilities. Children with higher social motivation and cognitive skills may particularly benefit from inclusive settings, while specialized settings appear effective regardless of these characteristics.

Small sample size of 58 children. Study duration limited to one calendar year. The abstract does not specify demographic characteristics, severity levels, or other potentially relevant baseline variables that might influence outcomes.

This study examined the factors associated with social-communicative outcomes for children on the autism spectrum receiving early intervention in inclusive versus specialised early childhood education programmes. Fifty-eight preschool-aged children randomly assigned to receive the Group-Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM) in either inclusive or specialised (i.e., autism-specific) classrooms across one calendar year showed similar outcomes at group mean-level across measures of communication and social behaviour. We examined factors moderating outcomes across settings. Novel moderation analyses revealed that higher baseline social interest and nonverbal cognitive skills were associated with increased social communication gains for children in the inclusive classrooms, but not for those in specialised settings.

Children who spend more time paying attention to people and have higher cognitive skills might benefit from receiving early intervention in inclusive settings, whilst these factors might be less relevant for children educated in specialised settings.