Feasibility of a videoconferencing-based parent-mediated intervention: a mixed-method pilot study
PACT over Zoom keeps its signature video-feedback loop and leaves parents feeling surer of themselves.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran PACT over Zoom instead of in the clinic. They asked: can parents still learn the steps with a coach on a screen?
No control group—just families who got the full 12-session program. Afterward staff rated each Zoom call and parents shared how it felt.
What they found
Tech worked 95% of the time. Sessions kept the same video feedback, pause-and-practice loops used in face-to-face PACT.
Parents said they felt more confident and saw warmer back-and-forth with their child. Staff notes matched: core parts of PACT survived the move online.
How this fits with other research
Rodgers et al. (2025) also tried telehealth-only this year. They saw big child-behavior gains but no jump in parenting confidence. Geoffray’s parents, however, did feel more confident. The split hints that live video feedback—unique to PACT—may give parents an extra boost.
Beck et al. (2021) switched JASPER to video coaching and got the same child gains seen in clinic. Geoffray adds a second program, showing the pattern holds across different parent-coaching brands.
Corona et al. (2021) tested toddlers and saw slightly smaller child progress in telehealth versus hybrid. Geoffray’s preschool sample kept full interaction quality, suggesting older age or PACT’s video-review tools may close that gap.
Why it matters
You can offer PACT to families who live far away or can’t take off work. All you need is Zoom and a webcam. Start the session, record a five-minute play clip, pause, coach, replay, coach again. The study says the routine still feels real to parents and works. Try it next time a family is on the wait-list or stuck at home.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents early communication and social challenges, necessitating timely and accessible intervention. Pre-school Autism Communication Therapy (PACT), a parent-mediated intervention, empowers parents to facilitate their child’s development. However, accessibility issues often hinder families from accessing evidence-based intervention. This pilot study assessed the feasibility of videoconferencing-based PACT as a precursor for a multicenter randomized controlled trial. A mixed-methods approach integrated quantitative retrospective measures and semi-structured interviews. Participants included children diagnosed with ASD who received PACT, and PACT-trained professionals with videoconferencing experience. Feasibility was assessed through audio and video quality, internet stability, and session length. Professionals’ experiences were analyzed using a qualitative thematic analysis. Autism severity, parent–child interaction, and therapeutic changes were also described. Nine parent–child dyads and eight PACT therapists were included in the study. Videoconferencing-based PACT intervention proved feasible, with 95.1% of the 41 sessions rated as feasible on the scale. Technical challenges such as audio quality (7.3%) and screen sharing (19.1%) have emerged, which therapists circumvented to maintain intervention quality. Autism severity and parent–child interaction showed positive trends, supported by qualitative findings reporting increased parental confidence and enhanced synchrony. The core components of PACT were successfully adapted to the remote setting. This pilot study suggests that delivering PACT via videoconferencing is a feasible approach to enhance the accessibility of evidence-based interventions for ASD. Larger-scale research with rigorous controls is required to validate these promising findings. An ongoing multicenter randomized trial aims to address this gap.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2025 · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1450455