ABSTRACT
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience skill deficits that can negatively affect long-term outcomes. Interventions based on applied behavior analysis (ABA) yield improvements in targeted skills. However, families often have difficulty accessing ABA services. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a caregiver coaching program delivered via telehealth. Thirty children with ASD and their caregivers (e.g., parents, grandparents) participated in all phases of the study. The program consisted of therapists providing coaching in English or Spanish to caregivers of children with ASD via synchronous video call telehealth visits, typically provided one to two times per week. Caregivers received coaching in interventions (e.g., functional communication training, discrete trial teaching, total task chaining, and naturalistic teaching) to address individualized goals. We collected data on caregiver treatment fidelity and child outcomes (i.e., Vineland-3, observation, and analysis of time series data). Caregivers implemented intervention procedures with 95% accuracy on average. The single-case effect sizes calculated based on the time series baseline and intervention data yielded medium, large, or very large improvements for 85% of goals addressed. Results indicated that the children improved on appropriate engagement (measured via observation), but there was no statistically significant improvement for the remaining pre-post measures. These results, along with the results of previous studies, provide preliminary support for the use of telehealth to provide ABA services. However, there is a need for additional research evaluating the efficacy of these types of programs.
Subject(s)
Applied Behavior Analysis , Autism Spectrum Disorder , Telemedicine , Child , Humans , Autism Spectrum Disorder/therapy , Caregivers , Parents/educationABSTRACT
The supervision of field experiences is an indispensable component of Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) training. During the supervised field experience, supervisors regularly provide performance feedback to trainees for the purpose of improving fidelity of implementation of various assessments and interventions. Emerging evidence supports the efficacy of using telehealth to train teachers and parents to implement interventions, but no study has evaluated the effectiveness of the remote delayed performance feedback among individuals completing BCBA® training. We used videoconference equipment and software to deliver remote delayed performance feedback to seven participants enrolled in a graduate program and completing supervised field experience. Remote delayed performance feedback was provided regarding participants' implementation of caregiver coaching. The results indicate that delayed performance feedback provided remotely increased the correct implementation of caregiver coaching. These preliminary results indicate the efficacy of remote supervision and delayed performance feedback.
ABSTRACT
Children with autism spectrum disorder often display deficits in daily living skills. Behavior analysts can use telehealth, such as videoconferencing technology, to deliver interventions to families of these children. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the common barriers to accessing behavioral interventions, it is imperative to evaluate the effectiveness and practicality of delivering behavioral interventions via telehealth. This study evaluated the efficacy of a parent-implemented intervention with coaching via telehealth to improve daily living skills. Children ranging in age from 5 to 9 years participated in the study with 1 or 2 of their parents serving as the primary implementer(s). Parents implemented the intervention with fidelity and the intervention yielded increases in independent daily living skill completion for all 4 participants.
