Interventions based upon applied behaviour analysis (ABA) have been shown to be best practice for children with autism spectrum disorder. However, in many parts of the world there is a shortage of appropriately trained behaviour analysts. Telehealth is a potential solution to increasing access to ABA. Our study assessed the use of telehealth to provide parent training in naturalistic teaching strategies designed to increase child communication skills. Five parent child dyads took part in the training, utilising didactic training and synchronous coaching. Parents could be trained to a high level of fidelity and viewed the training favourably. Children showed variable gains in communication and improved positive affect. The project was cost effective in comparison with traditional training models.
There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of telehealth to provide parent training in behaviour analytic interventions and researchers have begun to focus on international demonstrations of this model. The current study assessed the efficacy of a training package focused on naturalistic teaching strategies designed to upskill parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and provide them with ready to use strategies to increase social communication behaviours across verbal operants. Two parent–child dyads were trained to increase mand, tact and intraverbals during play. Parents displayed increases in fidelity for each strategy and viewed the training favourably. Both children showed gains across verbal operants, as captured by a multiple baseline across behaviours design.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of a brief functional analysis and functional communication training conducted via telehealth. Three interventionist-child dyads took part in the study including one speech and language pathologist and two school teaching assistants, each working with one child with autism spectrum disorder. Interventionists were trained using didactic training to implement a brief functional analysis as well as synchronous coaching from a BCBA® to implement functional communication training. A multiple baseline across participants design was utilised to evaluate if interventionists could implement functional communication training to decrease challenging behaviours that included aggression, elopement and disruption. Sessions concluded earlier than planned due to school closures mandated by the COVID-19 outbreak for two of the three participants; however, existing data provide evidence that telehealth is a valid model for enabling clinicians to work in collaboration with school personnel to effectively deliver assessment and intervention procedures remotely via telehealth.
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