Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the integrated care model for infants and toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in childcare institutions in Wenzhou, and to explore the integrated care model guided by medical-childcare integration, so as to provide reference for early intervention of ASD children. Methods A retrospective single-group pretest-posttest study was conducted. Twelve infants and toddlers with ASD who received integrated care services at Wenzhou Mibao Childcare Center were enrolled in this study from November 2021 to December 2025. An integrated service system encompassing screening, assessment, intervention, and follow-up was established. This system integrated professional rehabilitation training into daily nursery care routines through four pathways: medical-rehabilitation-childcare linkage, a dynamic assessment-intervention cycle, integration of intervention into daily childcare routines, and collaborative home-childcare-medical support. All participants received integrated care for at least 6 months.The Chinese (Hong Kong) Version of Psychoeducational Profile-Third Edition (CPEP-3) was used for assessment within 1 month after enrollment and every 3 months thereafter. Paired t tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for comparative analyses. Results After integrated care, most CPEP-3 domain scores increased compared with baseline. Statistically significant differences were observed in 14 domains (P<0.05) , such as communication, motor function, social interaction, cognition, and language-related domains, whereas no significant differences were observed in personal self-care or adaptive behavior(P>0.05). Conclusions Guided by the medical-childcare integration model, the integrated care model in childcare institutions significantly enhances communication, social interaction, cognition, language, and motor development in infants and toddlers with ASD. This model offers a practical and potentially scalable framework for implementing comprehensive early intervention in childcare settings.
Key words
autism spectrum disorder /
medical-childcare integration /
integrated care /
childcare
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