The number of children with special needs in early childhood settings is growing. In a survey conducted by Early Childhood Ireland in 2013, 70% of settings reported having more than 1 child with additional needs (diagnosed or undiagnosed).

Furthermore, Autism Spectrum Disorder was the most common classification of additional needs noted.

There is an ever-growing body of research internationally to support inclusive practices for all children. Here in Ireland, inclusion is supported by the Department of Skills and Education, Early Childhood Ireland, and the National Disability Authority, and is guided by the Education for Persons with Special Education Needs Act 2004, Disability Act 2005, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In a briefing paper on Inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream early childhood care, The National Disability Authority sited the following conclusions:

• Children with disabilities in inclusive programmes do at least as well on developmental outcomes, and better on social and behavioural outcomes than those in segregated or specialised settings (Buysse & Bailey, 1993)
• Although children with disabilities are at greater risk of peer rejection than their peers in inclusive settings (Odom et. al 2000), there are a number of evidence-based strategies to mitigate this risk (English et. al, 1997; Hundert, Mahoney, & Hopkins, 1993; Lau et. al, 2005; Roberts, Burchinal, & Bailey, 1994)
• Promoting an inclusive setting without attention to the strategies and supports is not sufficient.
• Children without disabilities who are enrolled in inclusive settings often score higher in tests on positive attitudes towards people with disabilities, and on social acceptance of people with disabilities (Diamond, 1997)

While much of the research available to date has been conducted with children with various disabilities, we know that the benefits extend to children with Autism as well. Benefits to the child with Autism include:

• Decreased severity in behaviours associated with Autism (Strain & Bovey, 2011)
• Improvements on intellectual or cognitive measures (Nahmias et. al, 2012),
• Improvements in adaptive behaviour and communication measures (Stahmer, A. C., Akshoomoff, N. and Cunningham, A., 2011; Strain & Bovey, 2011)
• Enhanced generalisation or application of taught social skills to new contexts (Strain, 1983)

Each child with Autism is very different, and will present with unique strengths and challenges.

Some children will be successful in an inclusive setting with some simple strategies, while others will require more intensive or individualised supports.

However, participation in preschool for the young child with Autism provides opportunities to practice important skills which are critical for social competence. These are opportunities a child might otherwise miss out on without access to appropriate peer models. 

Additionally and just as important, inclusion provides the opportunity to begin to establish meaningful relationships and friends in their own community that can be nurtured for years to come.

For a summary of effective strategies to support inclusion, visit our Strategies and Support page.