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Evaluating the Treatment Fidelity of Parents Who Conduct In-Home Functional Communication Training with Coaching via Telehealth

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Abstract

We conducted a retrospective, descriptive evaluation of the fidelity with which parents of three children with autism spectrum disorders conducted functional communication training (FCT) in their homes. All training was provided to the parents via telehealth by a behavior consultant in a tertiary-level hospital setting. FCT trials coached by the behavior consultant were conducted during weekly 1-h visits. Parents made video recordings of treatment trials in which they conducted the procedures independent of coaching. We evaluated the levels of fidelity during coached and independent trials within a multielement design and recorded parents’ omission and commission errors during different components of the treatment over time. The results showed no consistent differentiation between the coached and the independent trials. Some errors (e.g., omission errors associated with reinforcing manding) occurred more frequently overall, but none of the errors appeared to have a strong relationship with treatment outcomes. All children showed substantial reductions in problem behavior during the final treatment trials and especially during the coached trials. These results suggest that behavior analysts can use telehealth to implement FCT with acceptable fidelity and to achieve substantial reductions in children’s problem behavior.

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Acknowledgments

This investigation was supported by Grant R40MC22644 from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the grant agency. The authors express their appreciation to Agnes DeRaad for her editorial assistance and to the families of the participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Disabilities and Development, University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, 100 Hawkins Dr. Room 251, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA

    Alyssa N. Suess, Patrick W. Romani, Shannon M. Dyson, Jennifer L. Kuhle, John F. Lee & Kelly E. Pelzel

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA

    David P. Wacker, Scott D. Lindgren, Todd G. Kopelman & Debra B. Waldron

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  1. Alyssa N. Suess
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  2. Patrick W. Romani
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  3. David P. Wacker
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  4. Shannon M. Dyson
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  5. Jennifer L. Kuhle
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  6. John F. Lee
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  7. Scott D. Lindgren
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  8. Todd G. Kopelman
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  9. Kelly E. Pelzel
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  10. Debra B. Waldron
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Correspondence to Alyssa N. Suess.

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Suess, A.N., Romani, P.W., Wacker, D.P. et al. Evaluating the Treatment Fidelity of Parents Who Conduct In-Home Functional Communication Training with Coaching via Telehealth. J Behav Educ 23, 34–59 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-013-9183-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-013-9183-3

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