Parent Perceptions of Caregiver-Mediated Telemedicine Tools for Assessing Autism Risk in Toddlers

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 51; no. 2; pp. 476 - 486
• Main Authors: Corona, Laura L., Weitlauf, Amy S., Hine, Jeffrey, Berman, Anna, Miceli, Alexandra, Nicholson, Amy, Stone, Caitlin, Broderick, Neill, Francis, Sara, Juárez, A. Pablo, Vehorn, Alison, Wagner, Liliana, Warren, Zachary
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-02-2021; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Access to Health Care; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnosis; Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology; Autistic children; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Beliefs, opinions and attitudes; Caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Child and School Psychology; Child, Preschool; Children; Clinical Diagnosis; Diagnosis; Female; Humans; Infant; Liking; Male; Mass Screening - methods; Medical diagnosis; Medical examination; Medical screening; Mental health screening; Methods; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Parent Attitudes; Parents; Parents & parenting; Parents - psychology; Pediatric research; Pediatrics; Perception; Perceptions; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Program Effectiveness; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Public Health; Risk assessment; Risk factors; Screening Tests; Technology application; Telecommunications; Teleconferencing; Telemedicine; Telemedicine - methods; Toddlers; United States; Young children; Diagnosis; Telemedicine; Autism spectrum disorder
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04554-9

Telemedicine tools have potential for increasing access to diagnostic services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Past work has utilized tele-assessment procedures in which remote psychologists observe administration of interactive screening instruments by trained, on-site providers. Although promising, this approach relies on two clinicians, limiting its efficiency and scalability. The present study examined the use, acceptability, and parents’ perceptions of two caregiver-mediated tools for assessing ASD risk in toddlers, in which remote clinicians guided parents to complete interactive screening activities with their children. Most parents found tele-assessment to be comfortable, and many reported liking the parent-led nature of these tools. Parents also offered constructive feedback, which was used to modify the tele-assessment process for future study.