ABSTRACT

The recent introduction of inclusive schooling settings in France has allowed children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as young as 3 years to benefit from teaching adapted to their special needs, while sharing the same educational environment as their typical peers. The present study examined 1) whether chidren with ASD attenting an inclusive unit exhibit significant gains in cognitive and communicative skills, and 2) whether chronological age, autistic symptoms, sensory processing, language abilities, and nonverbal intellectual functioning are associated with these gains. Outcome measures, repeated every 8 months during two years included standardized assessments of cognitive and communicative development. Results indicated that children make significant progresses both in cognitive and communicative domain, although the pace of development varied from one child to another. Nonverbal intellectual functioning, chronological age and language abilities are significantly correlated with gains made by children in two years. The implications of these encouraging initial results and their limitations are discussed from the perspective of ensuring the best educational opportunities and wellbeing of children with ASD in inclusive early school settings.

摘要

法国最近引入了包容性学校环境，让年仅 3 岁的自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 儿童能够从适合其特殊需求的教学中受益，同时与典型同龄人共享相同的教育环境。本研究检验了 1) 参加包容性单元的自闭症儿童是否在认知和沟通技能方面表现出显着的进步，以及 2) 实际年龄、自闭症症状、感觉处理、语言能力和非语言智力功能是否与这些进步有关。结果测量在两年内每 8 个月重复一次，包括对认知和沟通发展的标准化评估。结果表明，孩子们在认知和沟通领域都取得了显着进步，尽管每个孩子的发展速度有所不同。非语言智力功能、实际年龄和语言能力与儿童在两年内取得的进步显着相关。从确保自闭症儿童在包容性早期学校环境中获得最佳教育机会和福祉的角度讨论了这些令人鼓舞的初步结果的含义及其局限性。