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Preliminary Findings of a Telehealth Approach to Parent Training in Autism

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Abstract

Telehealth or online communication technologies may lessen the gap between intervention requirements for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and the available resources to provide these services. This study used a video conferencing and self-guided website to provide parent training in the homes of children with ASD. The first eight families to complete the 12-week online intervention and three-month follow up period served as pilot data. Parents’ intervention skills and engagement with the website, as well as children’s verbal language and joint attention skills were assessed. Preliminary research suggests telehealth may support parental learning and improve child behaviors for some families. This initial assessment of new technologies for making parent training resources available to families with ASD merits further, in-depth study.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by Organization of Autism Research awarded to Laurie A. Vismara. We wish to gratefully acknowledge the children and families who participated in this study. Laurie A. Vismara is an author of the parent curriculum used in this study and receives royalties from the sale of this book.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA

    Laurie A. Vismara, Carolyn McCormick & Gregory S. Young

  2. Department of Neurology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Anna Nadhan

  3. Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Katerina Monlux

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  1. Laurie A. Vismara
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  2. Carolyn McCormick
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Correspondence to Laurie A. Vismara.

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Vismara, L.A., McCormick, C., Young, G.S. et al. Preliminary Findings of a Telehealth Approach to Parent Training in Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 2953–2969 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1841-8

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