REVIEW PAPERChildren with Autism in

REVIEW PAPER
Children with Autism in the Inclusive Preschool Classroom:
A Systematic Review of Single-Subject Design Interventions
on Social Communication Skills
Sarah G. Hansen & Allison W. Blakely & Jill K. Dolata &
Tracy Raulston & Wendy Machalicek
Received: 13 May 2014 /Accepted: 17 May 2014 /Published online: 30 May 2014
# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract Changes in legislation have led to an increased
push for children with autism spectrum disorder to be educated
in classrooms with typically developing peers. This systematic
review of the literature between the years of 2005 and
2012 aimed to identify effective interventions to support the
children with autism spectrum disorder in the inclusive preschool
classroom. Single-subject studies concerning the improvement
of social communication skills for children with
autism spectrum disorder in inclusive preschools were identified
through systematic searches of electronic databases using
key terms, journal hand searches, and ancestral searches of
identified articles. Data were extracted from the resulting 16
articles to (a) examine rigor of design, (b) evaluate intervention
effectiveness using visual analysis and percentage nonoverlapping
data (PND), and (c) determine evidence-based
practices. Results suggest a range of effective interventions to
improve the social communication skills for children with
autism spectrum disorder in inclusive preschool classrooms.
Suggestions for future research are discussed.
Keywords Autism spectrum disorder . Inclusion .
Meta-analysis . Preschool . Social skills
Introduction
Participation in quality early childhood education has direct,
positive effects on academic and social outcomes for young
children (Camilli and Barnett 2010). Typically developing
children benefit from early social interaction with peers and
play is foundational for many school-aged skills, including
social-communication (McClelland and Morrison 2003;
Odom et al. 2006). For children with disabilities, participation
in early childhood programs that feature education among
typically developing peers may provide unique access to these
benefits (Guralnick et al. 1996; Ferraioli and Harris 2011).
Despite the continued debate about the potential impact of
inclusive settings on child outcomes (e.g., Garrick et al. 2000;
Killoran et al. 2013), the early childhood experience has
changed for children with disabilities with an increasing trend
for young children with disabilities to be educated alongside
typically developing peers whenever possible (Boyle et al.
2011; Odom2000).
However, without effective planning and systematic intervention,
children with social communication deficits (e.g., autism
spectrum disorder [ASD]) may be at increased risk for
social isolation and may miss opportunities to develop meaningful
relationships with peers. Past research suggests that some
children with ASD do not benefit from inclusive educational
settings without additional planning and systematic instruction
(Bellini and Akullian 2007; Cho Blair et al. 2007; Koegel et al.
2012; Williams White et al. 2007). Children with ASD may
benefit from the increased opportunities to observe, initiate
social interactions, and respond to the social and play bids of
typically developing peers that inclusive preschool environments
offer. However, additional supports and instruction for
classmates with and without ASD may be essential.
Impairments in social communication and restricted and
repetitive behaviors, and interests characterize ASD
(American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders 2013).Without effective intervention,
these delays can obstruct a child’smeaningful participation
in educational settings (Bono et al. 2004; Charman et al. 2005).
Children with ASD often lack both functional (e.g., pointing at a
S. G. Hansen : A. W. Blakely : J. K. Dolata : T. Raulston :
W. Machalicek (*)
Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, Center on
Human Development, University of Oregon, 901 E. 18th Avenue,
Eugene, OR 97403, USA
e-mail: wmachali@uoregon.edu
Rev J Autism Dev Disord (2014) 1:192–206
DOI 10.1007/s40489-014-0020-y