Continuity and Change From Full-Inclusion Early Childhood Programs Through the Early Elementary Period.
Full-inclusion preschool gives kids a head start, yet many still shift to part-time pull-out by second grade when language or IQ scores lag.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team followed the preschoolers with mild developmental delays for three years. All kids started in full-inclusion classrooms with typical peers.
Each year the researchers recorded where the child spent the school day and gave fresh cognitive and language tests.
They wanted to see how many kids stayed fully included and what skills predicted a move to pull-out rooms.
What they found
By second grade only 60 percent were still in full-inclusion rooms. The other 40 percent spent part of the day in separate special-ed rooms.
Kids with lower language or IQ scores were the ones most often pulled out.
In plain words: early inclusion gives momentum, but lagging skills still nudge kids toward more segregated help later.
How this fits with other research
Oh-Young et al. (2015) looked at 24 studies and found that more inclusion leads to better academic and social scores. That big picture agrees with the early gains seen here.
Towle et al. (2018) tracked autistic children even longer and also saw service intensity rise again in late elementary. Together the two papers draw a curve: inclusion starts high, dips in early grades, and may climb back if supports stay strong.
Chen et al. (2019) add a social note: in inclusive preschools kids with disabilities still form smaller play groups. So placement alone does not guarantee peer ties; you need pairing plans too.
Why it matters
You can tell families that full-inclusion preschool is a strong launch pad, but warn them that pull-out help may reappear if language or cognition remain behind. Use the dip years to boost those skills and push for peer-mediated interventions so the child keeps both academic and social footing.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A large and well-characterized group of children with mild developmental delays initially enrolled in full-inclusion preschool or kindergarten programs was followed for 3 years. Changes in the type of inclusive placements as children transitioned to first and second grades were monitored, and associations between placement type and child and family characteristics were examined. Results revealed a high level of continuity in that most children remained in partial or full inclusion settings over time. However, a substantial reduction in full-inclusion placements occurred between the 2nd and 3rd year when children were completing the transition to first and second grades. Placements in less inclusive settings were associated with children's levels of cognitive and language development but not their adaptive, social, or behavioral characteristics. A hypothesis was put forward that placement in full-inclusion programs during the early childhood years creates a momentum to continue maximum participation in inclusive settings over time.
Journal of early intervention, 2008 · doi:10.1177/1053815108317962