Using telehealth to teach valued skills to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Total-task chaining works just as well on Zoom as it does in person for adults with IDD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Two adults with intellectual disabilities joined the study.
They wanted to learn daily living skills like cooking and laundry.
The coach used Zoom.
They showed the whole task at once, then gave help only when needed.
Each skill was broken into small steps.
Sessions happened twice a week from the adults' homes.
The coach never visited in person.
What they found
Both adults mastered their chosen skills in 12 to 15 sessions.
One learned to make grilled cheese.
The other learned to sort and wash clothes.
Two weeks later they still did the tasks perfectly without any prompts.
No extra practice was needed.
How this fits with other research
Price et al. (2018) used the same total-task chaining in person to teach bus riding.
Pellegrino moved that same method onto a computer screen.
Schaal et al. (1990) also used total-task presentation, but they worked face-to-face in a mall.
The new study shows the old method still works when the coach is miles away.
Slane et al. (2021) reviewed 20 telehealth training studies.
They found high success rates, but most trained teachers or parents.
Pellegrino adds fresh evidence that telehealth can teach clients directly, not just train helpers.
Why it matters
You can now teach cooking, laundry, or other chained skills without driving to the home.
This saves travel time and opens services to rural clients.
Try total-task chaining on Zoom next time an adult client needs to learn a daily routine.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Telehealth uses electronic information and telecommunication technologies to deliver long-distance clinical services. It has successfully been used by clinical professionals to teach family and staff members to provide evidence-based assessment and treatment procedures. There is no research to date, however, evaluating the use of telehealth to directly teach individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Thus, we evaluated the efficacy of a telehealth intervention using total task chaining with least-to-most prompting delivered via videoconference to 2 adults with IDD. Both participants demonstrated low independent responding during baseline with enhanced written instructions present. During intervention, which included vocal and model prompting, both participants met the mastery criterion for each skill in fewer than 15 sessions, which maintained after 2 weeks. Finally, both participants expressed satisfaction with the goals, procedures, and effects of the intervention. We discuss the broader scope of the intervention for individuals with disabilities when face-to-face services may not be feasible.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2020 · doi:10.1002/jaba.734