Comparing the Effectiveness of Discrete Trial Training Delivered via Telehealth and In-Person on Skill Acquisition
Telehealth DTT teaches kids with autism to label occupations just as well as sitting in the same room.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three autistic children in early intensive behavioral intervention joined the study.
Each child learned to label occupations like firefighter and chef.
Some lessons happened in person. Others happened over Zoom with the same therapist.
The team flipped the two formats day by day to see which one taught faster.
What they found
Kids learned the job names at the same speed on screen and in the clinic.
No child lost skills when the laptop came out.
Parents saw good attention during both set-ups.
How this fits with other research
Weyman et al. (2018) used the same flip-flop design to test enthusiastic praise.
They also saw tiny differences, backing the idea that small DTT tweaks rarely create big jumps.
Ferguson et al. (2022) found progressive DTT beat equivalence-based instruction for speed.
That study compared two teaching styles, while Lindgren compared two delivery rooms, so the questions differ but the method matches.
Najdowski et al. (2003) review lists DTT as a solid play tool; Lindgren shows the tool still works when the room turns into a screen.
Why it matters
You can keep running DTT trials during a telehealth session without fear of lost learning.
If a family moves, a storm closes clinic doors, or a therapist calls in sick, switch on the camera and keep teaching.
Check that the parent or technician on site sets materials the same way you would, then run trials exactly as before.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the delivery of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) services. As a result, many EIBI service providers shifted to either temporarily or permanently providing some or all of their services via telehealth. Most published research on behavior analytic approaches to telehealth has focused on training others to implement behavior analytic interventions in an in-person setting. In contrast, relatively few researchers have evaluated direct EIBI service delivery via telehealth (i.e., professionals directly providing behavior analytic interventions to clients/learners using technology). Little is known about the effectiveness of behavior analytic interventions delivered remotely to learners via telehealth compared to standard in-person intervention delivery. The purpose of the present study was to directly compare the effectiveness of discrete trial training delivered remotely via telehealth and in-person on the acquisition of labeling occupations for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in an EIBI program. The results and implications of the effectiveness of the different teaching modalities and observed generalization and maintenance will be discussed.Evaluating the effectiveness of behavior analytic interventions delivered remotely via telehealth compared to standard in-person delivery could help increase access to services for those in need.We found little difference in the acquisition of labeling occupations across the two modalities for all three participants.Future researchers should consider how to incorporate strategies to promote generalization into direct telehealth services.Future researchers should evaluate how learners without previous exposure to discrete trial training may perform during direct telehealth services. Evaluating the effectiveness of behavior analytic interventions delivered remotely via telehealth compared to standard in-person delivery could help increase access to services for those in need. We found little difference in the acquisition of labeling occupations across the two modalities for all three participants. Future researchers should consider how to incorporate strategies to promote generalization into direct telehealth services. Future researchers should evaluate how learners without previous exposure to discrete trial training may perform during direct telehealth services.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2024 · doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00855-4