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Abstract: The current study compared a simultaneous prompting strategy to a most-to-least prompting strategy for three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The prompting procedures were used to teach expressive label targets via direct telehealth. Results of the adapted alternating treatments design nestled within a multiple-baseline design demonstrated that both prompting procedures were effective to teach the expressive label targets directly via telehealth. The efficiency of the prompting procedures was evaluated in addition to the effectiveness of the procedures. Results are discussed in terms of clinical implications of the prompting methods used via telehealth and future research directions.
There is an increasing demand for effective behavioral intervention for autistic/individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Wacker et al., 2013). Unfortunately, the currently available number of qualified behavior analysts is not enough to meet the need for growing number of autistic/individuals diagnosed with ASD (Wacker et al., 2013). It has been estimated that the current ratio of qualified and competent behavior analysts may be as low as one board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) per 2,213 individuals (Ferguson et al., 2019). These numbers may be even more drastic in rural areas where behavior analytic services may not be readily available. One way to increase accessibility of behavioral intervention is by providing behavioral intervention via telehealth (Ferguson et al., 2019). Telehealth can be defined as using communication technology to provide learners with education, training, advice, or treatment for any ongoing health concerns (Monlux et al., 2019).
The implementation of behavioral intervention via telehealth greatly increased, and was more accepted by the community at large, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessity for autistic/individuals diagnosed with ASD to continue to receive medically necessary services. It should be noted, however, that behavior analytic research related to intervention for autistics/individuals diagnosed with ASD via telehealth is not new (Ferguson et al., 2019). Nonetheless, increased acceptance of the use of telehealth for the implementation of behavioral intervention via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic was reflected in national and statewide mandates (e.g., Awasthi et al., 2021; Cox et al., 2020; LeBlanc et al., 2020; Oblak, 2021; Pollard et al., 2021; Rodriguez, 2020) as well as third-party payers paying for behavioral intervention via telehealth (Council for Autism Service Providers, 2020). The...