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Telehealth research in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) has focused on the training and supervision of others to implement various behavior analytic procedures. Current guidelines for practicing telehealth suggest that direct telehealth services may be appropriate for some individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, but more research is needed. This study evaluated the effects of discrete trial teaching with instructive feedback in a dyad arrangement delivered directly via telehealth to teach tact relations to 6 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. All participants and the experimenter were located in different physical locations. All participants learned their primary and secondary targets, and 5 of the participants acquired the observational primary and secondary targets without direct teaching. Areas of future research and clinical implications are discussed in the context of telehealth service delivery.

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Researchers have demonstrated that comprehensive behavioral intervention can result in significant improvements in the lives of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; e.g.; Lovaas, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 55(1):3-9, 1987; McEachin et al., American Journal of Mental Retardation 97(4):359-372, 1993). This intervention has occurred in a variety of settings (e.g., school, home, and clinic). Even though procedures based upon the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) can be implemented across a variety of settings, there is often confusion about the differences and relative advantages of home- versus clinic-based settings. The purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion of home- and clinic-based intervention within the context of a progressive approach to ABA and discus possible advantages of each type of setting.

Autistics/individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly display qualitative impairments in social behavior that commonly result in the use of interventions directly targeting the development of social skills. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for effective social skills interventions that can be delivered directly via telehealth. The Cool Versus Not Cool procedure has continually been documented as effective within the literature. However, its reported use has been limited to in-person delivery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Cool Versus Not Cool procedure conducted via telehealth to teach three children diagnosed with ASD to change the conversation when someone is bored. The results of a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline across-participants design demonstrated that all three participants reached the mastery criterion in four to eight sessions. Responding generalized to another adult for two of the three participants, and all three participants maintained correct responding. Social validity measures indicated the skill was important to teach, the intervention was acceptable and effective, and the telehealth format was an acceptable replacement for in-person intervention for these three participants.