A digital intervention package to teach rapport‐building skills to caregivers of children with autism

Guinness et al. (2025) built a short, fully online package for parents of children with autism. Parents first watched self-paced videos about building rapport. Then they joined a live Zoom call and got real-time feedback from a coach.

The team used a single-case design with four caregiver-child pairs. They measured how well parents used warmth, shared control, and playful turns during play.

All four parents quickly learned the rapport moves. Three of the four kids then spent more time in back-and-forth play with their parent.

The gains showed up right after the Zoom feedback session and held at follow-up.

Lee et al. (2023) and Wanniachchi et al. (2024) already showed that parent coaching works. Lee used only live Zoom; Madhubhashini did two-week home visits. Guinness adds bite-sized videos first, then one Zoom, and still gets the same positive lift.

Gerow et al. (2021) and Ferguson et al. (2022) used telehealth to teach parents daily-living or language skills. Guinness extends that line: the same remote setup can teach the softer skill of rapport, not just chores or words.

Mahoney et al. (2016) ran a big RCT with monthly in-home PLAY sessions and saw ADOS scores drop. Guinness matches the parent warmth gains, but does it faster and without anyone leaving home.

You can copy this package next week. Email the video links, schedule one 30-minute Zoom, and watch the parent join the child’s play instead of directing it. No travel, no all-day training, and the single-case data say it still works.