Commitment, Collaboration, and Problem Resolution to Promote and Sustain Access to Multifaceted Applied...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Telehealth
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to essential applied behavior analysis (ABA) services.
• Telepractice models emerged for educational and medical ABA services, including behavior technician interventions.
• Practitioners face challenges with learner, caregiver, and setting variables in telepractice.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate the efficacy of telepractice at the behavior technician level.
• Advocate for telepractice as a safeguard for ABA service access during crises.
• Provide strategies to overcome barriers in technician-level telepractice.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of training models and materials for telepractice.
• Description of problem-resolution strategies for telepractice barriers.
• Review of initial outcomes from educational and medical ABA telepractice.

Main Results:

• Identified common barriers to telepractice intervention for behavior technicians.
• Proposed solutions and training strategies to mitigate these barriers.
• Demonstrated initial positive outcomes in educational and medical settings.

Conclusions:

• Telepractice is essential for maintaining ABA service continuity during public health crises.
• Addressing telepractice barriers is critical for ensuring consumer access to behavior technician services.
• Further research is needed to establish best practices for technician-level ABA telepractice.