Inclusive early childhood learning environments increasingly serve young children ( 1 . 5 – 4 years) with diverse developmental profiles, including children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delays . In early intervention practice, standardized developmental assessments are widely used to identify priorities and monitor progress, yet a persistent “assessment - to - instruction gap ” remains: results are often translated into isolated target instruction (skills taught one-by-one in narrow response formats). Although such approaches can produce task mastery, they frequently yield fragmented learning , prompt dependency , and limited generalization across activities , partners , and settings, so assessment gains may not translate into functional competence in natural environments ( Stokes & Baer , 1977 ) . Recent syntheses of early autism intervention research likewise highlight that effects are often strongest on proximal, context-bound outcomes, underscoring the need for instructional designs that deliberately engineer generalization and everyday use (Sandbank et al., 2020; Crank et al., 2021; Sandbank et al., 2023). This paper reports a practice-based instructional methodology developed at the International Child Development Center. ( ICDC , Armenia ) that reorganizes assessment-informed planning from isolated targets toward clusters of functionally related targets taught across response forms and routines. Research question: How can assessment - informed instruction be reorganized to support functional , multi - domain learning and early independence in inclusive early childhood environments? Sub-questions: ( 1 ) What within - child learning trajectories ( acquisition → integration → generalization ) are observed when targets are taught as clustered repertoires rather than isolated skills ? ( 2 ) Which instructional features ( multi - context teaching , response variability , and family partnership ) appear most associated with generalized , independent responding? Conceptual / theoretical framework, integrates applied behavior analysis ( Baer et al . , 1968 ; Cooper et al . , 2020 ) , the technology of generalization ( Stokes & Baer , 1977 ) , and naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention principles emphasizing shared control and teaching in natural contexts ( Schreibman et al . , 2015 ) , within inclusive early childhood commitments to access , participation , and supports in everyday routines ( DEC / NAEYC , 2009 ; Ainscow , 2020 ) . The VB-MAPP (Sundberg, 2008) was used as a criterion-referenced developmental map; given ongoing discussion about the evidence supporting some assessment tools, interpretations were triangulated with direct instructional data and functional observations (Padilla & Akers, 2021). Instead of strict one - target sequencing, assessment priorities informed the construction of target clusters ( e . g . , concept + communicative function + play routine ) , taught concurrently through receptive discrimination , labeling , matching - to - sample , imitation , and play - based interaction across structured sessions and daily routines to strengthen stimulus control , promote response flexibility , reduce prompt dependency , and support independence .

We conducted a 2-year longitudinal, practice-based, multiple-case study ICDC. Participants were 30 children aged 1.5 – 4 years with ASD or presenting developmental delays and enrolled in early intervention services. Assessment and progress monitoring used the VB-MAPP for initial developmental assessment to identify developmental levels and learning needs. Staff collected baseline data at intake. Every 3 months, they repeated assessments to monitor progress and guide instructional decisions. These assessments allowed the team to systematically observe changes in communication, social interaction, play, and readiness for learning. After each cycle, staff prepared individual progress summaries and adjusted instructional priorities accordingly. Instead of choosing isolated instructional targets, assessment data informed the design of clusters of related skills. These clusters included multiple targets addressed at once across different domains. Instruction involved structured table sessions, play routines, and naturalistic learning in daily activities. Data sources included: (1) trial - by - trial instructional records from structured activities; (2) observational measures of independent responding across domains in routines and play; (3) documented generalization across materials, settings, and interaction partners; (4) video records illustrating acquisition, integration, and generalization. Video data showed developmental change, including children moving from prompted, isolated responses to independently discriminating and responding to ten or more targets at once across domains. A caregiver questionnaire is administered every 3 months, capturing spontaneous skill use and independence in daily routines, as well as communication/learning behaviors outside the center. Analysis emphasized within - child change over time and cross-case pattern synthesis to identify common developmental pathways and plausible instructional mechanisms, aiming to generate transferable design principles (practice-based evidence) rather than population-level causal estimates.

Across cases, documented trajectories indicate that organizing instruction around clusters of functionally related targets supports earlier movement from prompted to independent, flexible responding across multiple domains. Video and observational records show stepwise development: children first acquire targets with support, then integrate skills across response forms (e.g., receptive ↔ expressive ↔ play use), and subsequently generalize across partners, materials, and settings within daily routines (Stokes & Baer, 1977). Consistent with meta-analytic evidence that early intervention effects can be bounded to trained contexts (Sandbank et al., 2020; Crank et al., 2021), the cluster-based approach explicitly engineered multi-context teaching and generalization, and caregiver reports reflected increasing spontaneous use and participation in home/community routines. Family partnership functioned as an ecological extender: by helping caregivers recognize and support functional use (without shifting responsibility for formal instruction), the model strengthened continuity between center learning and participation in natural environments, aligning with early childhood inclusion guidance (DEC / NAEYC, 2009). Overall, findings suggest that instructional organization and environment design (clustered repertoires, multimodal contexts, planned generalization, and caregiver partnership) are key mediators of functional learning and early independence in inclusive early childhood settings.

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