Evaluating the effectiveness of telehealth to teach functional communication skills

ABSTRACT

Individuals living with autism and other developmental disabilities do not always have access to effective behavior analytic intervention services due to the lack of geographical proximity to resources. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic further posed unprecedented challenges to not only obtain access to resources and treatment, but unique challenges to the delivery of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Recent research and advances in telecommunication technologies have made it possible to provide behavioral healthcare services remotely. In this study, a concurrent multiple-baseline design across behaviors was used to evaluate the effectiveness of utilizing telehealth to teach functional communication. Four child-research assistant dyads participated. All dyads received training through telehealth. Results showed that telehealth was an effective modality for teaching mands and tacts to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)