Early Interventionists’ Appraisals of Intervention Strategies for Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Peers in Inclusive Childcare Classrooms

Mounting evidence supports several naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI) for toddlers and preschoolers within inclusive childcare centers and preschools. However, these interventions pose many barriers to community implementation. As part of a larger project to create an adapted NDBI for early educators in childcare centers, we surveyed 101 early interventionists who had worked with a toddler with autism within the last 12 months. Early interventionists rated 22-of-31 NDBI strategies to be significantly more effective for All Toddlers versus Toddlers with Autism. However, when comparing the top 10 rated strategies between groups, there was a large degree of overlap. Moreover, many of these highly rated NDBI strategies are consistent with best practice accreditation and early education standards within the United States.