Identifying the unique determinants influencing rural families' engagement with an existing tele-assessment approach for autism identification: A qualitative study.
Liliana Wagner, Tori Foster, Kemberlee Bonnet and 3 others
PMID 39704165WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers and providers described four core attitudes influencing tele-assessment uptake: doubts about validity, trust in the provider's judgment, logistical feasibility, and privacy concerns about revealing their home life.
Barriers included poor internet, lack of devices, and child behavior. Facilitators included avoiding travel and having a support person present.
Key findings
01Participants identified four main themes influencing attitudes toward tele-assessment: validity, trust, feasibility, and disclosure.
02Barriers to engagement included limited internet access, lack of devices, difficulty finding a private space, and concerns about child behavior during the visit.
03Facilitators included the ability to avoid travel, having a support person present to manage the child or technology, and faster scheduling compared to in-person visits.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was small and predominantly female and White, though the authors note this reflected the demographics of the rural counties studied. Participants were recruited from a single state, limiting transferability to other regions. The focus group format may have introduced selection bias, as some individuals may not have been comfortable sharing opinions in front of others. The study did not include autistic individuals or community members in the research design or analysis.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by U.S. Government research grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these themes as evidence that tele-assessment is less valid or effective than in-person assessment. This study reports caregiver and provider perceptions and barriers, not clinical outcomes or diagnostic accuracy.