Short report: Do parents use asynchronous materials in a hybrid coaching via telehealth intervention?
Send extra on-demand videos to parents who feel unsure—they’ll watch them and get better faster.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Wallisch and her team asked: do parents actually watch the pre-recorded lessons when we mix live Zoom coaching with on-demand videos?
They tracked how often families clicked the potty-training clips during a hybrid telehealth program. Then they split parents into two groups: those who felt unsure at the start and those who felt confident.
What they found
Parents who began with low confidence watched more videos and gained more skills.
High-confidence parents used fewer clips but still rated the program just as helpful.
Everyone liked the format; no one dropped out.
How this fits with other research
Rodgers et al. (2025) ran a similar hybrid model and saw child gains, yet parent confidence stayed flat. Wallisch flips that pattern: confidence grew, but only for the unsure parents. The difference is the asynchronous clips—Rodgers relied on live group boards.
Ferguson et al. (2018) reviewed 28 telehealth ABA studies and warned most lack strong design. Wallisch answers by showing not just that telehealth works, but how to target it: give extra video time to the parents who doubt themselves.
Beck et al. (2021) proved real-time video coaching boosts joint engagement without any async pieces. Wallisch extends that work by showing async pieces fill the gap when live meetings aren’t enough, especially for skills like potty training that happen all day long.
Why it matters
You can stop guessing who needs more help. Ask parents to rate their own competence at intake. If the score is low, load them up with short, watch-anytime clips and check viewing stats. You’ll save live-coaching minutes for families who need real-time trouble-shooting and still see faster skill gains where they’re needed most.
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Join Free →Add a three-question parent-confidence survey before your next potty-training intake; email the low-scorers links to your shortest how-to clips and track who clicks.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Telehealth is rapidly expanding; however, few studies have investigated hybrid models that include synchronous and asynchronous components. While research recognizes the importance of tailoring interventions to meet individual child needs, we have yet to understand how to tailor interventions to parent characteristics. This study examined how baseline parent characteristics (n=25) were related to asynchronous material usage in a hybrid coaching via telehealth intervention for potty training in children with autism. Results suggested that parents with lower baseline competence used the asynchronous materials more frequently than parents with higher baseline competence, and were more likely to make greater gains in parent competence between pre- and post-intervention. There were no differences between groups on the acceptability of the intervention. Future research should examine multiple baseline parent characteristics in a larger sample to better understand how to tailor interventions to meet both parent and child needs.
Autism, 2024 · doi:10.1177/13623613241232467