Comparing the Effectiveness of Discrete Trial Training Delivered via Telehealth and In-Person on Skill Acquisition

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the delivery of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) services. As a result, many EIBI service providers shifted to either temporarily or permanently providing some or all of their services via telehealth. Most published research on behavior analytic approaches to telehealth has focused on training others to implement behavior analytic interventions in an in-person setting. In contrast, relatively few researchers have evaluated direct EIBI service delivery via telehealth (i.e., professionals directly providing behavior analytic interventions to clients/learners using technology). Little is known about the effectiveness of behavior analytic interventions delivered remotely to learners via telehealth compared to standard in-person intervention delivery. The purpose of the present study was to directly compare the effectiveness of discrete trial training delivered remotely via telehealth and in-person on the acquisition of labeling occupations for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in an EIBI program. The results and implications of the effectiveness of the different teaching modalities and observed generalization and maintenance will be discussed.Evaluating the effectiveness of behavior analytic interventions delivered remotely via telehealth compared to standard in-person delivery could help increase access to services for those in need.We found little difference in the acquisition of labeling occupations across the two modalities for all three participants.Future researchers should consider how to incorporate strategies to promote generalization into direct telehealth services.Future researchers should evaluate how learners without previous exposure to discrete trial training may perform during direct telehealth services.