1. The effects of transition to technician-delivered telehealth ABA treatment during the COVID-19 crisis: A preliminary analysis
- Author
-
Christan A Griffin, Joseph M. Baker, Joy S. Pollard, and Linda A. LeBlanc
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Sociology and Political Science ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Adolescent ,Autism Spectrum Disorder ,telehealth ,medicine.medical_treatment ,education ,autism ,Telehealth ,direct services ,Preliminary analysis ,Applied Behavior Analysis ,Young Adult ,medicine ,Humans ,Applied behavior analysis ,Child ,Applied Psychology ,health care economics and organizations ,Technician ,COVID-19 ,medicine.disease ,Telemedicine ,Philosophy ,Direct Treatment ,Family medicine ,Child, Preschool ,Parent training ,Autism ,Female ,Psychology ,Special Series: Public Health and Telehealth - Abstract
Telehealth delivery of applied behavior analysis treatment has focused on supervision or staff and parent training, rather than the direct delivery of treatment to clients. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis had the potential to significantly disrupt access to direct treatment for individuals with autism. We report a sample of 17 cases that transitioned from in-person to telehealth delivery of treatment when shelter-in-place orders were issued. Of these cases, 76% of participants transitioned to technician-delivered telehealth services whereas the rest transitioned to a caregiver-implemented telehealth model. Participants continued to access a similar dosage of treatment hours per week in spite of the treatment model transition (in-person M = 12; telehealth M = 11) and maintained or improved correct independent responding across all targets from in-person treatment (M = 75%) to telehealth treatment (M = 80%). These findings provide initial evidence that some clients with autism benefit from technician-delivered telehealth services.
- Published
- 2020