Remote Intensive Intervention for Young Children on the Autism Spectrum During COVID-19: the Experience of Caregivers and Service Providers

Abstract

Objectives Community-based early autism intervention programs in Geneva, Switzerland, converted their in-person services to a telehealth format during the COVID-19 home confinement period. The current study was aimed at measuring the engagement and satisfaction of service providers and caregivers as they experienced telehealth services for the first time and at monitoring child progress. Methods Forty-five families from diverse backgrounds and their 45 service providers had daily videoconferencing sessions of primarily parent-mediated intervention. Satisfaction questionnaires were completed at three time points over a 2-month period. Session frequency and program participation were recorded. Caregiver and service provider’s answers were compared. Results were also analyzed by family annual income. Child progress was monitored using the Early Start Denver Model Curriculum Checklist. Results Caregivers and service providers maintained high levels of participation and satisfaction throughout the telehealth service period and appreciated how the telehealth format allowed them to meet more frequently. Lower-income families tended to be more unanimously positive about the services when compared with mid- and high-income families. We found significant group differences in service providers’ and caregivers’ perceptions of each other’s comfort level with the remote sessions. Child progress followed a pattern of continued significant improvement across most developmental domains during the telehealth service period. Conclusions These findings underscore the potential of telehealth as a promising and appreciated approach for delivering intensive early autism interventions in community settings. Further research is needed to determine optimal session frequency for remote parent-mediated intervention and to determine ways to make telehealth services more accessible for low-income families.