Remote Intensive Intervention for Young Children on the Autism Spectrum During COVID-19: the Experience of Caregivers and Service Providers

IF 1.3 Q3 EDUCATION, SPECIAL

Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Pub Date : 2023-07-13 DOI:10.1007/s41252-023-00339-0

Hilary Wood de Wilde, Nada Kojovic, Céline Robertson, Catherine Karr, Leyla Akman, Florence Caccia, Astrid Costes, Morgane Etienne, Martina Franchini, Edouard Gentaz, Marie Schaer

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

Community-based early autism intervention programs in Geneva, Switzerland, converted their in-person services to a telehealth format during the COVID-19 home confinement period. The current study was aimed at measuring the engagement and satisfaction of service providers and caregivers as they experienced telehealth services for the first time and at monitoring child progress.

Methods

Forty-five families from diverse backgrounds and their 45 service providers had daily videoconferencing sessions of primarily parent-mediated intervention. Satisfaction questionnaires were completed at three time points over a 2-month period. Session frequency and program participation were recorded. Caregiver and service provider’s answers were compared. Results were also analyzed by family annual income. Child progress was monitored using the Early Start Denver Model Curriculum Checklist.

Results

Caregivers and service providers maintained high levels of participation and satisfaction throughout the telehealth service period and appreciated how the telehealth format allowed them to meet more frequently. Lower-income families tended to be more unanimously positive about the services when compared with mid- and high-income families. We found significant group differences in service providers’ and caregivers’ perceptions of each other’s comfort level with the remote sessions. Child progress followed a pattern of continued significant improvement across most developmental domains during the telehealth service period.

Conclusions

These findings underscore the potential of telehealth as a promising and appreciated approach for delivering intensive early autism interventions in community settings. Further research is needed to determine optimal session frequency for remote parent-mediated intervention and to determine ways to make telehealth services more accessible for low-income families.

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COVID-19 期间对自闭症谱系幼儿的远程强化干预：照顾者和服务提供者的经验

目标瑞士日内瓦的社区自闭症早期干预项目在 COVID-19 家庭隔离期间将其面对面服务转换为远程医疗形式。本研究旨在测量服务提供者和照顾者首次体验远程医疗服务时的参与度和满意度，并监测儿童的进展情况。方法45个来自不同背景的家庭和他们的45个服务提供者每天进行视频会议，主要是以家长为中介的干预。在两个月内的三个时间点填写了满意度问卷。会议频率和项目参与情况均有记录。对照顾者和服务提供者的回答进行了比较。调查结果还按家庭年收入进行了分析。结果在整个远程医疗服务期间，看护者和服务提供者都保持了较高的参与度和满意度，并对远程医疗形式使他们能够更频繁地会面表示赞赏。与中高收入家庭相比，低收入家庭对服务的一致好评度更高。我们发现，在服务提供者和看护者对彼此在远程会话中的舒适程度的看法上，存在着明显的群体差异。在远程医疗服务期间，儿童在大多数发育领域的进步都呈现出持续显著改善的模式。还需要进一步的研究来确定远程家长干预的最佳疗程频率，并确定如何使低收入家庭更容易获得远程医疗服务。

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来源期刊

Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Social Sciences-Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

CiteScore

2.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders publishes high-quality research in the broad area of neurodevelopmental disorders across the lifespan. Study participants may include individuals with:Intellectual and developmental disabilitiesGlobal developmental delayCommunication disordersLanguage disordersSpeech sound disordersChildhood-onset fluency disorders (e.g., stuttering)Social (e.g., pragmatic) communication disordersUnspecified communication disordersAutism spectrum disorder (ASD)Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specified and unspecifiedSpecific learning disordersMotor disordersDevelopmental coordination disordersStereotypic movement disorderTic disorders, specified and unspecifiedOther neurodevelopmental disorders, specified and unspecifiedPapers may also include studies of participants with neurodegenerative disorders that lead to a decline in intellectual functioning, including Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal degeneration, Huntington’s disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy. The journal includes empirical, theoretical and review papers on a large variety of issues, populations, and domains, including but not limited to: diagnosis; incidence and prevalence; and educational, pharmacological, behavioral and cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, and psychosocial interventions across the life span. Animal models of basic research that inform the understanding and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders are also welcomed. The journal is multidisciplinary and multi-theoretical, and encourages research from multiple specialties in the social sciences using quantitative and mixed-method research methodologies.