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What Happens Next? Follow-Up From the Children's Toddler School Program

Natacha Akshoomoff1, Aubyn C Stahmer, Christina Corsello

  • 1University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.

Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions
|November 30, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) maintained stable diagnoses and average cognitive skills but continued to struggle with socialization. Social skill development and support remain critical needs for these children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Special Education

Background:

  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition impacting social interaction and communication.
  • Early intervention programs aim to support children with ASD during critical developmental periods.
  • Longitudinal studies are essential to understand the long-term outcomes for children with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To follow up on children diagnosed with ASD in early childhood.
  • To assess the long-term outcomes regarding diagnosis stability, cognitive and language skills, socialization, and parental stress.
  • To identify ongoing service needs for children with ASD.

Main Methods:

  • Follow-up study of 29 children diagnosed with ASD at age 2.
  • Data collection included parent surveys and follow-up testing of children aged 4-12.
  • Assessment of educational placement, diagnostic stability, cognitive and language skills, socialization, and parental stress.

Main Results:

  • Autism spectrum disorder diagnoses remained stable.
  • Children demonstrated average cognitive and language skills but persistent socialization weaknesses.
  • The majority of children attended special education preschool, while 63% of school-aged children were in general education classrooms.
  • Child-related parental stress remained high.

Conclusions:

  • Children with ASD often maintain stable diagnoses and average cognitive abilities but face ongoing challenges in social skill development.
  • Socialization skills and support services remain a significant need for this population.
  • Inclusive educational settings may be beneficial for some school-aged children with ASD, but social support is crucial.

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