Assessing and Setting Goals for the Attending and Communicative Behavior of Three Preschoolers with Autism in Inclusive Kindergarten Settings

Research findings of Helios II, a task plan for children with disabilities (1993–96) involving the nations of the European Economic Community, indicate that relevant and individualized inclusion plans, designed and used by well-trained specialists, is a key factor to successful inclusive education. The premise of this study was to set individualized goals that address the communicative difficulties of three preschoolers with autism in inclusive kindergarten settings. The findings of this study indicate that preschoolers with autism, compared with their typical peers in kindergarten, had low attending behavior; did not respond to their peer's comments, questions, and invitations; and did not initiate interactions with peers. Normative data were collected and analyzed in the domains of difficulty stated above, and inclusion goals for children with autism were set accordingly. Setting such goals was considered to be an important prerequisite for a systematic intervention addressing the needs of preschoolers with autism in inclusion settings.