Effectiveness of special nursery provision for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Reed et al. (2010) compared three ways to help preschoolers with autism. One group got one-to-one ABA at home. Two groups went to special nurseries: one class had only autistic kids, the other mixed autistic and typical peers.

All children got the same number of therapy hours. Staff tracked adaptive living skills, IQ, and language before and after one school year.

Both nursery groups improved about the same on daily-living skills. The home-ABA group gained more on IQ tests but not on dressing, toileting, or other adaptive skills.

In short, nursery placement moved real-life skills as much as home therapy did.

Eckes et al. (2023) pooled 11 studies and also found medium gains in adaptive skills from full ABA programs. Phil’s single study sits right inside that average.

Dixon et al. (2017) looked back at 300 cases and saw kids learn twice as fast in centers than at home. That seems to clash with Phil’s equal adaptive gains, but Dixon counted new skills per hour, not parent-reported daily living. Faster learning does not always transfer to home routines.

Rattaz et al. (2026) followed French children for three years and found inclusive classes beat special classes for communication and daily living. Phil showed the same benefit can start in preschool, whether the class is autism-only or mixed.

You can place a preschooler with autism in a high-quality special nursery and expect similar adaptive gains as daily home ABA. Use this when parents ask for center options or when home therapy strains the family. Keep measuring real-life skills—IQ may rise more at home, but dressing, eating, and toileting can improve just as well in a good nursery.