From Clinic Room to Zoom: Delivery of an Evidence-Based, Parent-mediated Intervention in the Community Before and During the Pandemic.
Tobi Graucher, Yana Sinai-Gavrilov, Yaniv Mor and 5 others
PMID 35764769WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with autism reported significant decreases in disruptive behaviors after a 12-week group parent-training program, whether delivered face-to-face or via Zoom.
Teacher reports also showed improvement in the face-to-face group.
Key findings
01Parents in both face-to-face and online groups reported significant decreases in children's disruptive behaviors on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist.
02Teachers reported significant improvements in disruptive behaviors for children in the face-to-face group, but no teacher data was collected for the online group.
03Approximately 60% of participants across both groups showed a decrease in hyperactivity scores, though the proportion achieving reliable clinical change differed between formats.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study had no control group, so it is impossible to know if the improvements were due to the intervention, natural development, or other factors. The sample size was small (55 parents), and follow-up data was sparse due to poor retention. Outcome measures relied heavily on parent reports from participants who were actively involved in the intervention, introducing potential bias. The face-to-face and online groups were not directly comparable because they occurred before and during the pandemic, respectively, introducing confounding variables. Teacher outcomes were only available for the face-to-face group, limiting the generalizability of school-based improvements to the online format.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Joseph Levy Foundation (UK). The text does not specify if the funder had a role in the study design, data analysis, or manuscript preparation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this proves Zoom is as effective as face-to-face delivery. The groups were not randomized or directly compared; they occurred before and during the pandemic, and the online group had fewer participants showing reliable clinical change.