Virtual House Calls Help Parents with Autistic Kids

MELBOURNE, Fla., July 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Time is of the essence for the families of autistic children. Early interventional services are critical in alleviating the symptoms of a condition for which there is currently no cure, yet finding the time for behavioral training can be a struggle for parents already challenged by the constant demands of their child.

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"If you have a child with disabilities, it can be very difficult to leave your house," said Ivy Chong, director of autism services and training at Florida Institute of Technology's Scott Center for Autism Treatment.

To help caregivers of newly diagnosed autistic children easily access behavioral training, a pilot program of the Scott Center and the university's College of Psychology and Liberal Arts has placed it literally in the hands of families.

Thanks to a grant from the State of Florida's Agency for Persons with Disabilities and the Harper Family Charitable Foundation, the Scott Center developed the solution, "Learning to Live with Autism," to offer behavioral training for parents via telemedicine. Using Adobe Connect, the program provided real-time face-to-face training to furnish parents with the skills, tools and techniques they can use to reduce problem behavior and increase adaptive skills, appropriate verbal behavior and social interaction.

The pilot, completed this summer, focused on 30 underserved families from throughout Florida, providing training to parents with young children recently diagnosed with autism. Families received a one-day clinic evaluation and 10 weeks of free behavioral training.

"I loved the focus of the training, which was to encourage parents to be active participants in their child's health," said participant Arwyn Holmes, whose five-year-old son, Drake, is autistic.

"Having a child with autism, plus a job, a husband that travels 90 percent of the month, another child and lots of therapies and activities, the idea of getting one-on-one time with a behavior analyst without leaving the house was really interesting. Having the presentation online made it significantly easier."

Dr. Chong modeled the "Learning to Live with Autism" behavioral training solution to be parent-centered.

"Parents are key to better outcomes in facilitating treatment and learning new skills," she said.

"There is a lot of need for early diagnosis and for reducing barriers to treatment. This is one way we can approach it."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one child in 88—one million school-age children—suffers from some form of autism spectrum disorder. It is an "equal-opportunity" disorder that cuts across all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups and is more prevalent in children than cancer, diabetes, spina bifida and down's syndrome.

It is also extremely expensive. According to the Autism Society of America, the United States spends $60 billion a year to care for individuals with autism, primarily on lifelong adult care.

The telemedicine behavioral training solution holds much promise for positive, cost-effective changes.

"There is no quick fix for these kids," said Holmes. "Everyone in their life needs to understand behavior management techniques."

CONTACT:
Karen Rhine
321-674-8964
[email protected]

SOURCE Florida Institute of Technology