A Module-Based Telepractice Intervention for Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Early intervention for children with disabilities is crucial for language development.
• Parent-mediated interventions can effectively improve communication skills in young children.
• Telepractice offers a feasible method for delivering parent training remotely.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Internet-based Parent-implemented Communication Strategies-Storybook (i-PiCSS) intervention.
• To assess parents' fidelity in using naturalistic communication teaching (NCT) strategies.
• To examine the impact of i-PiCSS on child language and communication outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A single-case multiple-baseline design across NCT strategies was employed.
• Three parents were trained via online modules and coached remotely using videoconferencing.
• Data were collected on parent fidelity of NCT strategies, book reading techniques, and child communication.

Main Results:

• Parents demonstrated increased rates and fidelity in using modeling, mand-model, and time delay strategies after training.
• Children's communicative initiations increased following the parent's use of the time delay strategy.
• Children exhibited an increase in both single- and multiple-word responses.

Conclusions:

• The i-PiCSS intervention is an effective parent-training program for improving communication strategies.
• Remote coaching via telepractice is a viable method for delivering parent-implemented interventions.
• The i-PiCSS program positively impacts language and communication outcomes in young children with disabilities.