A Telehealth Delivered Toilet Training Intervention for Children with Autism.

The study had no control group, so improvements could have happened without the intervention. The sample was small and preliminary, with 34 families enrolled and 25 families completing all sessions. All families also received simultaneous services through early intervention, school, or clinics, so the contribution of this intervention cannot be separated from other supports. Children started at different toileting skill levels and had a wide age range, so results may not apply to every child with autism. Acceptability, goal attainment, and performance or satisfaction outcomes were based on parent report, and autism diagnoses were parent-reported. The study did not test whether gains were maintained after the intervention ended. Use of online materials was based on parent recall, which may introduce bias. The five families who did not complete all sessions were not a true control condition, and their exploratory analysis showed no significant change. Families who dropped out had the lowest baseline toileting scores, though this difference was not significant.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was funded by an American Occupational Therapy Foundation Intervention Research Grant.

Do not conclude that telehealth coaching by an occupational therapist, email check-ins, and online materials caused the toileting gains. The study had no control group, enrolled 34 families, and all families also received simultaneous services through early intervention, school, or clinics.