In a recent study titled Telehealth Training in Naturalistic Communication Intervention for Mothers of Children with Angelman Syndrome, researchers evaluated the efficacy of a telehealth parent training program designed to teach parents how to implement Naturalistic Communication Interventions (NCI) with their children who have Angelman Syndrome (AS). The findings of this study are critical for practitioners looking to improve outcomes for children with AS through parent-mediated interventions.
Angelman Syndrome is a rare neurogenetic disorder characterized by severe language impairments, among other challenges. Parents of children with AS often struggle to find specialized training to support their child's communication development. This study demonstrated that telehealth could be an effective medium for delivering such training.
Key Findings from the Study
- **Parent Implementation Fidelity**: The study showed that parents significantly improved their ability to implement NCI strategies, reaching an average implementation fidelity of 85% or higher after the intervention.
- **Child Engagement**: While the improvements in child engagement were modest, there was a noticeable increase in some cases, suggesting that parent-implemented NCI can have a positive impact.
- **Child Communication**: Although the gains in child communication were not statistically significant, the study did show small but clinically relevant improvements in the highest levels of communication observed during sessions.
- **Social Validity**: Parents reported high levels of satisfaction with the telehealth training program, finding it both easy to use and effective in addressing their child's communication needs.
Implementing the Research Outcomes
For practitioners looking to incorporate these findings into their practice, consider the following steps:
- **Leverage Telehealth**: Utilize telehealth platforms to deliver training and coaching to parents. This approach is particularly beneficial for families in remote or underserved areas.
- **Focus on NCI Strategies**: Train parents in NCI strategies such as following the child's lead, environmental arrangement, and mirroring, mapping, and expanding language. These strategies can be easily embedded into daily routines.
- **Provide Explicit Instruction and Coaching**: Use a combination of explicit instruction through modules and practice-based coaching to ensure parents can effectively implement NCI strategies.
- **Monitor and Support**: Continuously monitor parent implementation fidelity and provide booster sessions as needed to maintain high levels of NCI implementation.
Encouraging Further Research
While this study provides promising results, additional research is needed to explore the long-term effects of telehealth-delivered NCI training on child communication outcomes. Future studies should also investigate the scalability of such programs and their applicability to other neurogenetic disorders.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: Telehealth Training in Naturalistic Communication Intervention for Mothers of Children with Angelman Syndrome.
