Changes in language development among autistic and peer children in segregated and integrated preschool settings

Abstract

Five young children with autism enrolled in a segregated class, five other children with autism in an integrated class, and four normally developing peer children in the integrated class were compared for developmental changes in language ability as measured by the Preschool Language Scale before and after training. The results, based on Mann-Whitney U tests, showed that (a) all of the children as a group made better than normative progress in rate of language development, (b) the scores of the autistic children were significantly lower than the peers before and after treatment, and (c) there were no significant differences in changes in language ability between the autistic children in the segregated and integrated classes.

Educational Placements and Service Use Patterns of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…Historically, segregated settings have often been thought to offer more intensive educational programming (Harrower, 1999). On the other hand, there have been studies citing no appreciable differences in educational outcome between children with autism in segregated classes and those in inclusive classes (Harris, Handleman, Kristoff, & Bass, 1990).…”

Randomized Controlled Trial for Early Intervention for Autism: A Pilot Study of the Autism 1-2-3 Project

“…Though some studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the ABA approach (Anderson et al 1987), the poor transfer of skills acquired into daily living was a major criticism (Prizant et al 2000). Both the educational and the ABA intervention are very intensive and prolonged, with typically over 20 h of training per week (Fenske et al 1985;Harris et al 1991;Harris et al 1990;Heflin and Simpson 1998;Lord and Schopler 1989;Lovaas 1987;Rogers 1996) that stretched over years (Lovaas 1987). The cost has also been prohibitive.…”

Neuropsychology of autism in young children and its implications for early intervention

“…The Princeton program [Fenske et al, 1985] reported that four of nine preschoolers receiving two or more years of intensive behavioral treatment (but none of an older group receiving the same treatment) were enrolled in public school classes, though no other outcome data are given. The Douglass program [Harris et al, 1990], using a pre-post design to examine the progress of nine high-functioning children, demonstrated significant increases in IQ and language scores after one year of intervention.…”