Cognitive and social development of ASD children attending new inclusive classrooms in French preschools: A 2-year- follow-up

Inclusive schooling settings have been recently implemented in France in order to allow children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as young as 3 to benefit from a form of pedagogy adapted to their special needs, while maintaining the experience of sharing the educational environment of their typical peers, which is recognized as a key factor of their social and cognitive development. The objective of this pilot study is to assess the developmental trajectories of 3 cohorts of ASD children benefiting from these new inclusive educational settings in Ile-de-France and Bretagne, in a follow-up design conducted by two university departments involved in a collaborative research program. Outcome measures, repeated every 6-8 months, included standardized assessments of cognitive and social development, of clinical behavioral disorders and sensorial processing, as well as a series of complementary measures specific to each research site such as language, communication in the classroom, manual lateralization, and fine motor skills. First results showed that all children progressed in most of the functional domains explored, although baseline levels and developmental rhythms may differ from one child to another. Behavioral problems significantly decreased as early as the end of the first school year. Over the 2 years, profiles of cognitive and social development strengthened both in levels achieved and in homogeneity across domains. The implications of these encouraging initial results and their limits are discussed, with the perspective of ensuring the best educational opportunities and well-being for ASD children within early inclusive school settings.