Characteristics of children on the autism spectrum who benefit the most from receiving intervention in inclusive versus specialised early childhood education settings
Giacomo Vivanti, Catherine Bent, Kristy Capes, Shannon Upson, Kristelle Hudry, Cheryl Dissanayake and Victorian ASELCC Team
Behavioral Sciences Life Sciences & Biomedicine Psychology Psychology, Developmental Science & Technology Social Sciences
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. Lay Summary This study examined the characteristics of children on the autism spectrum who benefit the most from receiving intervention in inclusive versus specialised early childhood education settings. Fifty-eight preschool-aged children were randomly assigned to receive an evidence-supported intervention called the G-ESDM in either inclusive or autism-specific classrooms across one calendar year. Children who spent more time paying attention to people and had higher cognitive skills prior to receiving the intervention experienced more gains in inclusive settings. Conversely, these factors were unrelated to gains for children educated in specialised settings.
Characteristics of children on the autism spectrum who benefit the most from receiving intervention in inclusive versus specialised early childhood education settings
Creators
Giacomo Vivanti - Drexel University
Catherine Bent - La Trobe University
Kristy Capes - Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria Australia
Shannon Upson - Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria Australia
Kristelle Hudry - La Trobe University
Cheryl Dissanayake - La Trobe University
Victorian ASELCC Team
Publication Details
Autism research, v 15(11), pp 2200-2209
Publisher
Wiley
Number of pages
10
Grant note
Department of Social Services, Australian Government
Resource Type
Journal article
Language
English
Academic Unit
A.J. Drexel Autism Institute
Web of Science ID
WOS:000853839900001
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85138019715
Other Identifier
991019295302804721
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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Behavioral Sciences
Psychology, Developmental
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