Advances in Telehealth and Behavioral Assessment and Intervention in Education: Introduction to the Special Issue
Keep these telehealth supervision and service templates on file for quick, quality ABA when in-person work stops.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Rispoli et al. (2020) wrote a how-to guide for BCBAs who suddenly had to supervise and teach online.
The paper gathers ready-made forms, checklists, and video tips for telehealth supervision and service delivery.
What they found
The guide shows you can keep supervision and therapy moving with simple tech tweaks and clear templates.
No new data were collected; the paper gives practical tools instead of statistics.
How this fits with other research
LeBlanc et al. (2016) laid the groundwork for good supervision, but only for in-person settings. Rispoli updates those ideas for screens.
Awasthi et al. (2021) tested telehealth ABA with 92 Indian children and found kids still learned language goals, proving the templates can work in real life.
Simmons et al. (2021) surveyed trainees and showed high satisfaction with virtual supervision, yet most still wanted some face-to-face time. This mixed result keeps Rispoli’s flexible templates relevant.
Why it matters
If your clinic closes tomorrow, you can open the Rispoli packet and have supervision forms, parent-coach scripts, and tech tips in minutes. Use the checklists to keep quality high, then blend in video-feedback tricks from Aiello et al. (2022) to keep families engaged. The tools save prep time and protect client progress when settings shift fast.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Behavior analysts acting as supervisors of individuals pursuing Behavior Analyst Certification Board certification are tasked with designing effective and ethical supervision and training systems. Behavior analyst supervisors and their trainees may face challenges fulfilling their responsibilities in the midst of barriers that include competing contingencies, transitions, and interruptions. In this article, we review potential obstacles faced by supervisors in designing effective supervision through site closures and transitions to telepractice as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore related potential barriers faced by trainees serving clients through public school settings, as well as through insurance-funded agencies in the United States. We review some practical solutions and offer tools for supervisors and trainees to consider at this time. We present a template for trainees to help them develop a personalized applied behavior analysis fieldwork plan for their supervision, a client/family needs assessment, and a corresponding trainee needs assessment to assist with adaptations to supervision and service delivery in an individualized manner.
Journal of Behavioral Education, 2020 · doi:10.1007/s10864-020-09383-5