Telehealth Caregiver Coaching for Families of Children with ASD: a Pilot RCT

This study provides preliminary information about the efficacy of a telehealth applied behavior analytic (ABA) program. The intervention consisted of coaching caregivers (e.g., parents), via telehealth, to use ABA strategies to address three caregiver-selected goals. We evaluated the efficacy of the intervention using a pilot randomized controlled trial design, with an intervention and waitlist-control group. Nineteen children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), age 3 to 12 years old, and their caregivers participated in all phases of the study. We used five pre- and post-test measures to understand program efficacy. We did not find statistically significant differences on four of these measures, including the confirmatory measure (the Goal Attainment Scale). We did however find statistically significant improvements on the Vineland-3, favoring the intervention group. Single-case effect sizes from time series data suggested most individualized goals showed improvement. Furthermore, high caregiver intervention fidelity, the short duration of the program (i.e., 8 weeks), and the social validity data indicate the intervention may be feasible and acceptable in many contexts. Further research, including larger-scale evaluation of this type of program is warranted.