Using Telephone Conferencing to Provide Training for Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Barriers to participation in parent training include lack of child care, geographic isolation, and extensive commitment of time to other activities. An innovative and promising area of research is the use of teleconferencing through the Internet for teaching intervention techniques to parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the acquisition of target behaviors by young children with autism spectrum disorders, and the improvement of self-evaluation of their parents' parenting behavior by after the parents had participated in a parent-training program via telephone conferencing in which the training site and the parents' home were connected through the Interment. Participants in the study were 7 parents of young children with autism spectrum disorders. The program included training on selecting target behaviors, developing parenting procedures consisting of antecedent and consequent control, implementing those procedures at home, and recording target behaviors. As part of the program, feedback was delivered by the instructors. The parents' self-reports indicated that all 7 children acquired the target behaviors, and that self-evaluation of parenting behavior by the parents increased significantly. Anecdotally, the parents reported that parent training via telephone conferencing was acceptable, usable, and effective. The present results suggest that parent training via the Internet may have potential for increasing access to services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)