Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that presents many challenges for parents and providers while impacting a child's developmental trajectory across several domains, including disruptive behaviors. Unfortunately, due to limited access and affordability of care, especially during the pandemic or other situations that require people to stay at home, in-person services are not always feasible. Rural or underserved communities may face additional barriers, such as geographic isolation and lack of ASD resources. Accessibility of ASD treatment may be expanded through telehealth supports, such as mobile applications. When implementing these supports for autistic children, decreasing child problem behaviors while improving parent stress, knowledge, and competence is crucial. The current study investigated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a behavior consultation mobile application, Treks, to improve telehealth support for 26 parents (male = 2) of autistic children (3-13 years). Participants were randomly assigned to a one-session telehealth consultation with 1) the enhancement of the Treks app over the course of one month (TH) or 2) with access to mobile resources comparable to Treks for one month (CC). They were then administered measures at baseline, pre-Treks, and post-Treks to assess changes in parenting stress, knowledge, competence, and child behaviors as well as feasibility metrics. Results indicated that the mobile app was received positively across groups, showing significant improvement in participants enrolled in the TH group from pre- to post-Treks on parenting and child outcomes, in addition to moderate to high satisfaction. Future directions should examine the use of mobile supports to supplement parent training consultations for caregivers of autistic children who present with a range of behavioral difficulties. / Doctor of Philosophy / Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents with many challenges for parents and providers. Unfortunately, due to limited access and affordability of care, especially during the pandemic or other situations that require people to stay at home, in-person services are not always feasible. Rural or underserved communities may face additional barriers, such as geographic isolation and lack of ASD resources. Accessibility of ASD treatment can include telehealth (e.g., mobile applications), and should focus on decreasing child problem behaviors while improving parent stress, knowledge, and competence. The current study investigated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a behavior consultation mobile application, known as Treks, to improve telehealth support for 26 parents of autistic children (3-13 years). Participants were randomly assigned to a one-session telehealth consultation with access to 1) Treks for one month (TH) or 2) mobile resources comparable to Treks for one month (CC). They were then administered measures at baseline, pre-Treks, and post-Treks to assess changes in parenting stress, knowledge, competence, and child behaviors as well as feasibility. Results indicated that the mobile app was received positively across groups, showing significant improvement in participants enrolled in the TH group from pre- to post-Treks on parenting and child outcomes, in addition to moderate to high satisfaction. Future research should examine the use of mobile apps to supplement parent training for caregivers of autistic children who present with a range of behavioral difficulties.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/111306 |
| Date | 20 July 2022 |
| Creators | Dahiya-Singh, Angela Verma |
| Contributors | Psychology, Scarpa-Friedman, Angela, Breaux, Rosanna, Bell, Martha Ann, Jones, Russell T. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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