Effectiveness and acceptability of parent training via telehealth among families around the world

Abstract

Teaching parents to conduct functional analyses and to implement functional communication training is an efficacious approach for treating socially maintained problem behavior (Derby et al., 1997). Research has found that delivering this assessment and intervention package via telehealth technologies is efficient and acceptable to caregivers in the United States (Wacker et al., 2013b). We replicated this work with families residing in rural and urban areas of eight countries. Two behavior therapists located in the United States conducted appointments in the participants' native languages, using interpreters as needed. Parent‐implemented functional analyses and treatment with functional communication training were highly effective in reducing problem behavior in children diagnosed with autism. Furthermore, parents rated the procedures as acceptable and indicated that the treatment would be effective with their children. These findings indicate that telehealth technologies are a viable option for clinicians to provide behavior analysis services to families around the world.

A systematic review of cultural adaptations in the global application of ABA‐based telehealth services

“…We coded the involvement of community members in the training if they were reported to be matched in ethnicity, birthplace, current residence, or language with that of the participants. For example, Neely et al (2020) noted that "The coach was located in Japan and … spoke fluent Japanese ..." (p. 436), and Tsami et al (2019) reported that one of the trainers was "a native of Greece and had been living in the United States" (p. 1117).…”

“…Because the Georgian language did not allow for easy-to-use phrases of behavior-specific praise, the trainer used more instances of nondescriptive praise throughout the study. Tsami et al (2019) used an escape from physical touch condition during the functional analysis for one participant based on parent report of this as a common antecedent to problem behavior (in Greece, it is common practice for adults to greet children by touching their face).…”

“…The coach was matched in language, place of residence, and birthplace with the participants. Tsami et al (2019) had five participants who were matched with the birthplace of one of the trainers and four participants matched in birthplace with one of four interpreters used during the study. Barkaia et al (2017) reported that the trainer could speak the local language of participants (Georgian), but no information was offered about her ethnicity or birthplace.…”

“…Families in rural areas in the United States and those residing in countries with few or no Board Certified Behavior Ana-lysts® (BCBAs®) per capita of the population are at a major disadvantage in accessing the necessary intervention services (Antezana et al, 2017). Third, telehealth offers improved access to care for families in politically unstable areas, zones with frequent occurrences of natural disasters (Tsami et al, 2019), or during a pandemic (Yi & Dixon, in press) when face-toface interventions are not possible.…”

Advances in Telehealth and Behavioral Assessment and Intervention in Education: Introduction to the Special Issue

“…The use of telehealth in educational and family home settings to deliver intervention to children with disabilities is also developing at a rapid rate (Tsami et al 2019). The majority of educational applications have focused on training parents and teachers in research-based interventions to address the social communication and behavioral goals of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, Ferguson et al 2019).…”