Telehealth versus In Person Discrete Trial Teaching | BCBA CEU | Learning | 0.5 Hour 

In this presentation, Dr. Justin B. Leaf describes a master’s thesis study comparing direct telehealth and in-person discrete trial teaching for teaching expressive labels to children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The study was published in Behavior Modification (2020). The rationale for telehealth includes increasing accessibility, particularly in rural or underserved areas, and addressing service disruptions during COVID-19 when clinics, homes, and schools closed.

The study compared discrete trial teaching delivered via Zoom (direct telehealth) to in-person discrete trial teaching. Three children (ages 4–10) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder participated. All had vocal verbal behavior and minimal aberrant behavior. Targets were expressive labels of Marvel comic book characters selected based on participant interest. A PowerPoint with one character per slide was used in both conditions.

Mastery was defined as 100% correct responding across three consecutive probe sessions. Measures included skill acquisition, maintenance, efficiency (sessions, trials, and duration to mastery), and percentage correct during teaching. Interobserver agreement and treatment fidelity were high across conditions.

Results showed that both telehealth and in-person instruction were effective in teaching expressive labels and maintaining responding. Telehealth was generally more efficient in terms of sessions and trials, but less efficient in duration. The presenter concludes that direct telehealth can be effective and may increase accessibility, though it is viewed as supplemental rather than primary within the Autism Partnership method.