Photographs and Parent Training to Support Conversations about Past Events between Caregivers and Children with Autism
A packet of family photos plus two brief Zoom calls pushed parents to use richer language when chatting about the past with their autistic children.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bhana et al. (2023) sent three families a packet of their own printed photos. Each parent got a one-page script that showed how to ask open questions about the pictures.
After one week the team added two short Zoom calls. They watched parents reminisce with their child and gave live tips. The study tracked how often parents used the new talking tricks.
What they found
Every parent quickly used more open questions, praise, and wait time when looking at photos. Two parents kept climbing after the Zoom calls. All families said the skills stuck around later at home.
How this fits with other research
Rollins et al. (2019) and Wainer et al. (2021) already showed that telehealth parent coaching works for autism. Bhana adds a twist: a cheap stack of photos beats fancy software.
Togashi et al. (2023) also coached Japanese parents online, but taught manding instead of reminiscing. Same remote setup, different skill — both win.
Solares et al. (2019) trained tutors, not parents, through telehealth. Their pyramid model got similar fidelity gains, proving the screen is enough for adults learning naturalistic tactics.
Why it matters
You can mail ten family photos and a half-page tip sheet today. Add a 15-minute video call next week. No portals, no apps, no travel. The combo lifts parent talk skills and keeps them there — perfect for rural families or long wait-lists.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder experience communication difficulties that can make it challenging to engage in conversations. Their caregivers also often struggle with finding ways to support the child’s communication. Parent-implemented interventions and visual supports are evidence-based practices to support the communication skills of children with autism. A multi-method design (single-case multiple probe and qualitative) was used to evaluate the effects of family photographs, training, and telecoaching on parental implementation of communication strategies. Three parents and their children with and at risk for autism participated. Results indicate that the use of photographs increased the communication strategies used by all parents. Telecoaching further increased the overall strategy use for two parents. Interviews with the parents indicate spontaneous generalization and maintenance of strategy use. Family photos and naturalistic developmental behavior intervention approaches have the potential to improve communication about past events between parents and children with and at risk for ASD.
Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 2023 · doi:10.1007/s41252-023-00333-6