Comparing the effects of on-site and videoconference supervision in early intensive behavioral intervention

Abstract

This study examines if on-site and videoconference supervision in Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) has the same effect on adaptive behavior and basic language skills in children with autism. There has been little to no research examining this particular topic. The number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is increasing. This is straining the ability to deliver EIBI to those in need with the available resources. Therefore, this study investigates if videoconference can be an alternative to supplement on-site training of EIBI. Through an randomized controlled group design, sixteen participants were randomly assigned to two groups: on-site supervision and supervision through videoconference. The criteria for participation was an ASD diagnose and an age of 2-5 years old. Both groups received the same intervention. Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II (VABS-II) and Basic language and learning Skill (BST) were used to measure the effect. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the groups. The study concludes that videoconference can be used as an alternative.