Many studies point to the effects on preschoolers with disabilities. Kirsty Brown, assistant research professor at the National Institute for Early Education Research, conducted a study of 67 3- and 4-year-old preschool children in a middle class town in the Northeastern United States and published her findings in 2006. Preschool children without disabilities were offered a placement in the school's inclusion program. The control group attended a community-based preschool. By the end of the school year, the students without disabilities in the inclusion program scored significantly higher on letter and word recognition than the control group.
Preschoolers with and without disabilities can benefit from interaction with peers in a child-initiated learning environment. The preschool years should provide children with the foundation they need to master classes at the elementary, middle and high school level. Inclusion programs often have to be created because public schools generally only provide free preschool education to students with special needs. A preschool student can still have an Individual Education Plan or IEP through the public school system, and with a support system in place, he can attend a community-based preschool with his non-disabled peers.
Over the last 30 years, studies of preschool inclusion found that preschool children with disabilities in an inclusion classroom make as much, if not more, progress in the areas of social, motor, cognitive and language development as children in self-contained preschool special education classes. Multi-age groups seem to be a better choice for preschool inclusion classes. Teachers who go out of their way to promote social integration among students with special needs and those without them may have more positive gains in the areas of language and social competence.
Most families have a positive attitude towards preschool children with and without disabilities attending preschool together. Opportunities for friendship, communication and support are increased for these families as it becomes easier for them to get to know other families in their school district. Isolation is decreased. This further benefits all the children involved. Children in these classes learn to be more sensitive, accepting and tolerant of one another's differences. This also provides a path for increased social skills.