A Model of Support for Families of Children With Autism Living in the COVID-19 Lockdown: Lessons From Italy
Keep an open Zoom room for parents during crises—Italian BCBAs show the setup, and follow-up studies prove kids can still learn.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Italian BCBAs built a 24-hour parent-coaching plan when COVID-19 closed clinics. They stayed on Zoom all day so moms and dads could ask questions the moment problems popped up.
The team did not run trials or count data. They simply wrote down what worked and shared the steps so others could copy the plan.
What they found
The paper gives the full daily schedule, tech tips, and parent quotes. It does not report skill gains or behavior counts.
How this fits with other research
Sergi et al. (2021) used a similar Italian parent-coach model and did measure skills. Toddlers with autism kept their communication gains during lockdown, showing the idea can work when data are taken.
Sutton et al. (2022) ran a French version with weekly calls instead of all-day Zoom. Kids stayed stable but did not improve, matching the null outcome seen here.
Awasthi et al. (2021) moved 92 Indian kids to telehealth ABA. Mastery rates rose even though sessions were shorter, showing large-scale success is possible.
Why it matters
You can copy the Italian day-long Zoom plan when clinics close again. Keep the camera on, share quick video models, and let parents tag you the second they need help. Add simple data sheets like Sergi did if you want proof it works.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Italy has been the European country most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to date and has been in social lockdown for the longest period of time compared to other countries outside China. Almost overnight, Italian behavior analysts were faced with the challenge of setting up remotely whole-family systems aimed at maintaining adaptive skills and low levels of challenging behavior to be carried out solely by caregivers. Given these extraordinary circumstances, the protocols available from the applied behavior-analytic, parent training, and autism literature did not appear to fully meet the needs of parents having to be with their children under extreme levels of stress in a confined space with limited reinforcers for 24 hr a day, 7 days a week. To meet this unprecedented challenge, we developed a dynamic and holistic protocol that extended to the full day and that recognized the need for sustainable intervention delivered solely by parents, who were often looking after more than one child. These practices are presented in this article, together with a discussion of lessons we have learned thus far, which may be useful for behavior analysts working in other regions in which the effects of the pandemic are not yet fully realized. Although somewhat unorthodox, we include some parent comments at the end with the goal of sharing the parent perspective in real time as this pandemic unfolds across the world.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2020 · doi:10.1007/s40617-020-00438-7