The Effects of Transition to Telehealth Delivery of ABA treatment during the COVID-19 Crisis

A Large Scale Archival Analysis

Original Air Date: January 11, 2021 (as part of the CASP 2021 UnCONVENTIONal Conference)

CEU offered: 1.0 Learning CEU

Short Title:  Effects of Transition to TH Delivery of ABA During COVID-19

Webinar Duration: 1 hour

CE Instructors:

  • Joy Pollard, PhD, BCBA-D


Abstract: 

Telehealth service delivery of ABA treatment has rapidly expanded during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic;  however, many healthcare insurers have approved the use of telehealth only through the end of the pubic health emergency. Recent research has suggested that direct delivery of ABA treatment via telehealth can be successful for some patients (DiGennarro Reed, 2020; Ferguson et al., 2020; Pollard et.al, 2020). Telehealth service delivery models benefit families by facilitating patient choice and timely access to care in both rural and urban communities. More research is needed to effectively advocate for continued access to ABA treatment via telehealth service delivery models beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

To meet this need, CASP is leading a study to expand our knowledge about implementing different models of telehealth service delivery, the outcomes achieved with those models, and the participant characteristics associated with differential outcomes in these models. Many ABA providers transitioned to telehealth as a service delivery option to facilitate continued access to treatment during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We plan to conduct an archival analysis of data collected during the pandemic for clients of participating ABA provider agencies. CASP will be recruiting provider organizations to submit summative data for their telehealth implementation as well as data on individual client demographics, skills, services, and outcomes. Provider organizations will learn more about the study and how to participate during this session.

Instructor(s)

Ph.D., BCBA-D Joy Pollard

Dr. Joy Pollard is the Co-founder and CEO of Clinical Operations at Behavior Change Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Disability Disciplines, with a Specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis and her clinical experience has spanned across the home, clinical, school, and residential home settings. Dr. Pollard serves as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, where she provides clinical supervision and collaborates on research focused on children with ASD and neurogenetic syndromes. Her research and clinical practice have focused extensively on practitioner capacity building initiatives and pioneering telehealth applications to increase access to medically necessary ABA treatment for individuals living in rural and geographically isolated areas. Her scholarly publications include articles on ethical considerations in the design and implementation of telehealth service delivery models and she has served as a subject matter expert for the Telehealth Guidelines by the Council for Autism Service Providers (CASP).