A Spoken-Language Intervention for School-Aged Boys With Fragile X Syndrome.

McDuffie et al. (2016) coached moms of school-age boys with fragile X syndrome through Zoom.

The team taught each mom to use language-building moves while she and her son looked at picture books together.

Sessions were short, done at home, and filmed so coaches could give quick feedback.

Moms used the new story moves more often after each Zoom visit.

The boys talked more during stories and used a wider range of words and longer sentences.

Gains showed up in other parts of the day, not just during the book time.

Hao et al. (2021) ran a similar telehealth program with kids who have autism. They got the same language gains, showing the idea works across diagnoses.

Ferguson et al. (2022) also used telehealth parent coaching, but taught mand, tact, and intraverbal skills during play. Both studies show parents can learn the moves online, no matter the activity.

Klusek et al. (2015) warned that boys with fragile X often struggle with phonics. Andrea’s team sidestepped that roadblock by targeting spoken language through stories instead of reading drills.

You can add five-minute parent-coaching clips to your telehealth day. Pick a favorite picture book, model one move like expanding the child’s line, and ask the parent to try it on camera. Check the next clip for mastery. No extra travel, no extra cost, and the child gets more words.