Remote PEERS® for preschoolers: A pilot parent-mediated social skills intervention for young children with social challenges over telehealth

Abstract

IntroductionSocial differences characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities are evident in early childhood and are associated with later difficulties. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of evidence-based interventions explicitly targeting social skills development for young children, few actively integrate parents and caregivers, and even fewer have remote models. The importance of providing accessible, tailored services for families in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompted the creation of a parent-mediated telehealth version of Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) for Preschoolers (P4P), a pre-existing, evidence-based social skills intervention for children 4–6 years focused on making and keeping friends.MethodThis methodological paper documents the implementation, feasibility, and satisfaction of a novel telehealth group-based delivery of P4P.ResultsQualitative results indicate acceptable feasibility and satisfaction. Additionally, following completion there was an increase in parental confidence in social coaching and increased use of child social skills.DiscussionFuture work will evaluate quantitative outcomes and comparisons between delivery methods (e.g., telehealth vs. in-person).

Infant and early childhood teleconsultation and training: Program description and feasibility outcomes from a statewide implementation

“…Because teleconsultation has the potential to make training and consultation accessible to more providers regardless of geographic proximity, the gap in provider knowledge may close and confidence in applying IECMH concepts may grow. Studies on the feasibility of telehealth programs, such as teleconsultation, report lower attrition rates (Ehmer et al., 2022; Factor, 2022) and higher number of participants during training sessions (Olson et al., 2021). A major benefit of teleconsultation and virtual training is that services are more accessible for a bigger audience (Lipschitz et al., 2022), and possibly, an audience with a more diverse racial and educational background (Olson et al., 2021).…”