Evaluation of a Telehealth Parent-Training Program in Japan: Collaboration with Parents to Teach Novel Mand Skills to Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Kohei Togashi; Yasuyo Minagawa; Masahiro Hata; Junichi Yamamoto

doi:10.1007/s40617-022-00752-2

Evaluation of a Telehealth Parent-Training Program in Japan: Collaboration with Parents to Teach Novel Mand Skills to Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Behav Anal Pract. 2022 Oct 24;16(3):1-12. doi: 10.1007/s40617-022-00752-2. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kohei Togashi^{1

2}, Yasuyo Minagawa³, Masahiro Hata¹, Junichi Yamamoto³

Affiliations

¹ Global Research Institute, Keio University, Minato City, Tokyo Japan.
² Present Address: Behavior Solutions, KS Floor, 5F Resona-Kudan Bldg, 1-5-6 Kudan-Minami, Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-0074 Japan.
³ Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Minato City, Tokyo Japan.

Abstract

This study developed a telehealth parent-training program to teach parents of children with autism spectrum disorder the process of mand-training implementation in Japan, and to further the international dissemination of evidence-based training strategies. Parent-training sessions were based on a behavioral skills training (BST) model, combined with weekly graphic and video feedback. The sessions were conducted by a board-certified behavior analyst-doctoral residing in Japan. Four parents with children with autism spectrum disorder participated in this study. The results preliminarily support the effectiveness and social validity of the program. This study extends previous parent-training research conducted in Japan by comprising all of the following features: (1) online program design; (2) mand training; (3) BST model; (4) session-by-session data on children's behavioral changes and procedural integrity; (5) within-subject experimental design; and (6) social validity evaluation.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Behavioral skills training; International dissemination; Mand training; Parent training; Telehealth.

© Association for Behavior Analysis International 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.