A mixed-method evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of a telehealth-based parent-mediated intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder.
ImPACT Online lets parents of autistic children raise social communication without leaving home, and the extra therapist touch helps parents feel better but is not required for child progress.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Libero et al. (2016) tested ImPACT Online, a six-week parent-training website for families of autistic children. Parents watched short lessons, filmed themselves practicing skills, and got feedback from a coach through a webcam. Some families also chose extra live help; others used only the site. The team asked: Can parents learn the moves and boost their child's social talk without driving to clinic?
What they found
Parents felt more confident after the course. They said their kids used more eye contact, shared toys, and spoke in longer phrases. Children improved whether parents used the coach or just the web lessons. Therapist help made parents happier, but it was not needed for child gains.
How this fits with other research
Martin et al. (2023) ran a similar telehealth parent class during COVID and saw the same good fit: parents learned and problem behavior dropped. The pattern shows the idea keeps working outside the lab.
Breider et al. (2024) looked at blended telehealth for disruptive behavior and got a different twist. Face-to-face beat the waitlist, but the online-plus-therapist mix did not. Their stricter design warns us that live practice may still matter for some goals.
Stewart et al. (2018) pooled many parent-coaching studies and found only small overall gains. That meta-analysis includes the present trial. The small average is not a contradiction; it shows most parent programs give modest but real help, and telehealth is simply one handy way to deliver them.
Why it matters
You can add ImPACT Online to your parent-training menu today. Send families the link, schedule a brief Zoom check-in, and let them learn at kitchen-table speed. No travel, no wait list, and the gains stick even if coach time is brief. Perfect for rural clients, busy parents, or flu-season backup.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Research within the autism spectrum disorder field has called for the use of service delivery models that are able to more efficiently disseminate evidence-based practices into community settings. This study employed telehealth methods in order to deliver an Internet-based, parent training intervention for autism spectrum disorder, ImPACT Online. This study used mixed-methods analysis to create a more thorough understanding of parent experiences likely to influence the adoption and implementation of the program in community settings. Specific research questions included (1) What are parents' perceptions of the online program? (2) How does ImPACT Online compare to other services that parents are accessing for their children? And (3) Do parents' experience in, and perceptions of, the program differ based on whether they received a therapist-assisted version of the program? Results from 28 parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder indicate that parents saw improvements in their child's social communication skills and their own competence during the course of the program, regardless of whether they received therapist assistance. However, qualitative interviews indicate that parents who received therapist assistance were more likely endorse the acceptability and observability of the program. These findings support the potential for Internet-based service delivery to more efficiently disseminate evidence-based parent training interventions for autism spectrum disorder.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2016 · doi:10.1177/1362361315614496