Document Type

Dissertation

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

PhD in Behavior Analysis

Dissertation Defense Date

2023

First Committee Member

Thompson, Rachel H.

Second Committee Member

MacDonald, Rebecca

Third Committee Member

Palmer, David C.

Additional Committee Member(s)

Dickson, Chata A.

Abstract

"Video calls are a beneficial method for families to communicate with one another when they are physically apart, as they create a sense of co-presence and provide visual aids with corresponding interactions and feedback (Baldassar, 2016; Nedelcu & Wyss, 2016; Shen et al., 2017). Parents who have children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) living in residential care take advantage of this method of communication to maintain frequent contact with their child. We surveyed parents of children with autism living in a residential setting to assess the quality of their current video calls. We gathered information about ongoing practices, level of satisfaction, and ways to improve video calls. Following the parent survey, we used a reversal design to evaluate a video call schedule that incorporated elements preferred by the child and parent. We assessed the quality of the call by directly measuring child, parent, and teacher behavior during the call and administering ongoing post-call parent surveys. We further assessed the quality of the calls through blind ratings conducted by professionals. The intervention produced replicated improvements in one or more objective measures for two participants, and all parents rated the intervention calls as higher quality overall. Blind ratings by professionals consistently identified qualitative improvements associated with the intervention for three participants."

Download

Share

COinS