Parent-Coaching Telehealth Intervention for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Program

A pilot program investigated the effect of a parent-coaching intervention using naturalistic instruction with 41 parents of children (ages 2-18) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on social communication skills. Using a one-group pretest-posttest design, parents reported on ASD symptoms prior to and directly following a 12-week telehealth intervention, where parents implemented behavior strategies with the support of a coach. Results suggested a significant change in skill domains directly corresponding to social communication targets (Cohen's d = .49), as well as skills not targeted (e.g., behavioral rigidity). Discussion of findings as indicative of true changes in social communication versus parent perception of improvements in child's skills, future research targets, and study limitations provided.