Back to Search Start Over

Telehealth assessment of autism in preschoolers using the TELE-ASD-PEDS: A pilot clinical investigation.

Authors :
Hodge, Antoinette
Sutherland, Rebecca
Ong, Natalie
Chan, Esther
Barnett, Diana
Bennett, Beverley
Boulton, Kelsie
Francis, Deanna
Guastella, Adam
Papanicolaou, Angela
Tomsic, Gail
Williamsz, Marcia
Silove, Natalie
Source :
International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Dec2023, p1-17. 17p. 1 Illustration, 7 Charts.
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

AbstractPurposeMethodResultConclusionAppropriate early intervention is beneficial but dependent on accurate and timely diagnoses. This has been affected by long waiting lists for face-to-face clinical services, in part due to pandemic lockdowns, with telehealth introduced in many services to continue clinical services. This pilot clinical study investigated the feasibility of integrating a specially-designed telepractice autism assessment tool into a tertiary diagnostic service.Eighteen boys (2;4–5;1) participated in the study. Assessment was undertaken as per standard practice (parent interview, questionnaires, review of reports), with an additional telepractice assessment, included in place of face-to-face assessment, to provide clinicians with an observation of the children’s communication, behaviours, and interests. Ten parents provided feedback via semi-structured interviews.The TELE-ASD-PEDS was a feasible assessment tool in terms of administration, clinical experience, and information gained through the assessment process. Parents reported mostly positive experiences of the TELE-ASD-PEDS and made suggestions for improvements for future use of this tool.It is possible to obtain useful information about a child’s autism-specific behaviours using the activities in the TELE-ASD-PEDS. This information can be combined with clinical history from parents using the DSM-5 framework to provide a gold standard assessment for autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
17549507
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
174285163
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2023.2270187