This cluster shows how the COVID-19 lockdowns stopped therapy and school for kids and adults with autism or intellectual disabilities. Moms and dads felt much more stress when they lost help and had to care 24-7. Board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) can learn why keeping telehealth, respite, and check-ins ready is key so families never lose support again.
Common questions from BCBAs and RBTs
Research shows that families who lost ABA access reported worse outcomes across social, communication, and behavioral domains. Families who kept some access, including through telehealth, reported better gains. Service continuity matters enormously for this population.
Research from multiple settings shows that telehealth ABA with active parent coaching can maintain and sometimes improve outcomes for children with autism. It works best when caregivers are trained to implement procedures at home and when session structure matches in-person protocols.
Check in directly and regularly. Ask about financial stress, physical health, and access to basic needs. These factors predict both caregiver functioning and child outcomes. Connect families with concrete resources and reduce treatment burden when caregiver capacity is limited.
Research strongly supports keeping them. Families valued telehealth access, outcomes were maintained, and visit volumes actually increased for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities using virtual options. The evidence for permanent retention is clear.
Build explicit crisis communication policies, establish telehealth capacity before it is needed, train caregivers in home implementation of behavioral supports, and identify who is responsible for each step of the continuity plan. Do not wait for the next disruption to figure this out.