Development, Feasibility, and Initial Efficacy of a Telemedicine Parent-Delivered Social Skills Intervention for Children with ASD

This study reports on two pilot studies developing a telemedicine parent-delivered social skills intervention (PDSSI) for school-aged children with ASD. Pilot study 1 involved initial development, training, and feasibility testing for six parent–child pairs using in-person training and fidelity monitoring. Findings from study 1 supported the intervention procedures through high satisfaction and parent implementation fidelity. Pilot study 2 tested the intervention with 11 parent–child pairs using telemedicine for parent training, fidelity monitoring, and child outcome testing. Findings from study 2 supported feasibility using telemedicine. Study 2 also provided initial data indicating improvements in child social skills knowledge (d = 1.15), social skills (d = 1.75), and ASD characteristics (d = 0.92). Parents reported improvements in their own empowerment (d = 1.09) and stress (d = 0.44). Some outcomes were assessed and maintained at a 16-week follow-up. Overall, results support ongoing testing of this telemedicine PDSSI.