Psychological Interventions for Children with Autism during the COVID-19 Pandemic through a Remote Behavioral Skills Training Program.

Flavia Marino,Giovanna Mendolia,Paola Chilà,Antonino Andrea Arnao,Claudia Luraschi,Giovanni Pioggia,Gaspare Cusimano,Gennaro Tartarisco,Francesca Isabella Famà,Elisa Leonardi,Rosa Musotto,David Vagni,Chiara Failla,Pio Martines,Roberta Minutoli,Giuliana Cardella,Antonio Cerasa,Sara Genovese,Alfio Puglisi,Mario Busà,Liliana Ruta,Noemi Vetrano,Cristina Carrozza

doi:10.3390/jcm11051194

Abstract

COVID-19 has impacted negatively on the mental health of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as on their parents. Remote health services are a sustainable approach to behavior management interventions and to giving caregivers emotional support in several clinical domains. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated the feasibility of a web-based behavioral skills training (BST) program for 16 parents and their children with ASD at home. The BST parent training package was tailored to each different specific behavioral disorder that characterizes children with ASD. After training, we found a significant reduction in the frequency of all the targeted behavioral disorders, as well as an improvement in psychological distress and the perception of the severity of ASD-related symptoms in parents. Our data confirm the efficacy of remote health care systems in the management of behavioral disorders of children with ASD, as well as of their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

This study demonstrated the feasibility of live coaching on behavioral skills training (BST) procedures as a valid approach to managing behavioral disorders in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and for helping their parents deal with such disorders during COVID-19 pandemic
The only scale that showed no significant reduction was Parenting Stress Index (PSI)-Difficult Child (DC). This scale is designed to assess the parent’s perception of child-related disorders. To explain this finding we propose that, our remote BST parent training might induce a better understanding of the difficulties they are facing, the adaptation to stressful events associated with caring for an autistic depends on several factors [23]
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an enormous amount of suffering for all levels of society, but especially for more vulnerable people

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the health of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and their parents. These children have been identified as part of a group at higher risk of medical complications and social distress [1]. Parents of children with ASD often have trouble accessing behavioral services for their children [2]. This common condition has been significantly exacerbated by the COVID-19-related containment measures, with the risk of increasing lifelong impairments and comorbidities related to this disorder. More accessible interventions are urgently needed to support the families of children with ASD by promoting new techniques that can facilitate clinical and supportive interventions at a distance

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