The long-lasting benefits of pre-kindergarten education on autistic children's working memory development.

Missingness in the autism sample was 21% to 38%, compared with approximately 10% in the full sample, and some missing data may have been due to a child's Individualized Education Plan preventing the assessment, so the autism findings may not represent all autistic children. This was observational secondary data, not a trial, so it cannot show that pre-K caused working memory gains. The study did not measure what kind of pre-K program children attended, whether it was inclusive or specialized, how much instruction they received, or what skills were taught. Autism status was based on parent report or special education service report, not confirmed medical diagnosis or severity. The working memory measure was auditory and language-loaded, so it may not capture early gains in autistic children with language delays. The children attended pre-K in 2010-2011, and early childhood education has changed since then. The study looked only at working memory, not literacy, math, social-emotional readiness, other executive functions, or transfer to school outcomes.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The analysis used data sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education.

Do not read this as proof that pre-K causes lasting working memory gains. It is a secondary analysis of observational data; pre-K attendance was parent-reported, program type and dosage were not measured, and the association faded for the full sample after spring of first grade. The autism sample also had higher missing data.