ABSTRACT
During the COVID-19 pandemic, online training platforms have become more popular as a training delivery method. Given the importance of the Verbal Behaviour (VB) approach in teaching communication skills to autistic individuals, the current research was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a bespoke online VB training platform for practitioners. A quasi-experimental design was utilised to compare the effectiveness of the training platform with an experimental group (n = 20) who accessed the online VB platform and a control group (n = 20) who received hard copies of the training materials. Linear multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the online learning platform was significantly more effective in increasing practitioner knowledge of VB in comparison to receiving hard copies of the teaching materials. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
ABSTRACT
Background: Since 2019 the National Allergy Strategy (NAS) 250K youth project has run annual camps to support school-aged teens living with severe allergies. In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic presented several challenges for conducting camps. To reduce the risk of potential COVID-19 exposure, the NAS conducted a 250K fun day for school-aged teens, supported by local peer mentors, staff and volunteers. This study compares confidence levels for a range of allergy based self-management indicators, between the fun day and camp offerings. Method: The 250K fun day was held in Perth, Western Australia, in February 2021. Perth-based NAS staff and volunteer health professionals attended. School-aged teens and peer mentors from Perth were invited to participate. Several meetings with volunteers and catering staff were held prior. Findings: Fourteen school-aged teens with severe allergies and 1 peer mentor participated in the fun day, and 14 school-aged teens and 8 peer mentors participated in the 2020 camp. Confidence levels were measured using a participant survey. Table 1 provides a comparison of the results of the 2021 fun day and the 2020 camp. Conclusion: The 250K fun day helped connect young people with food allergy. The fun day as a one-day event substantially improved confidence levels in allergy self-management, however, did not increase confidence to the same level as the 2020 camp. Should COVID-19 continue to restrict access to camps, the fun day model represents a good option to engage youth and still provide significant benefit to participants.