Effects of a Telehealth-Based Project ImPACT Parent-Implemented Intervention for Toddlers with a High Likelihood of Autism and Their Mothers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects a telehealth-based Project ImPACT parent-implemented intervention would have on parents’ intervention fidelity and the social communication behaviors of toddlers with a high likelihood of autism. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design was employed, involving four toddlers showing autistic characteristics and their four mothers. Parents’ intervention fidelity and the infants’ social communication behaviors were measured, and maintenance effects and social validity were evaluated following the intervention’s completion. The results indicated that the telehealth-based Project ImPACT parent-implemented intervention improved the intervention fidelity of all participating parents, and the toddlers’ social communication behaviors displayed an increasing trend. These positive changes were maintained over time. This study is significant in that it is one of the first studies in South Korea to examine the effects of a telehealth-based Project ImPACT parent-implemented intervention for toddlers with a high likelihood of autism. Additionally, it provides a methodological example of evaluating the effects of a parent-implemented intervention using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design, demonstrates the feasibility of implementing a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI) and telehealth parent coaching in South Korea, and provides foundational data for toddlers and parents before an official autism diagnosis.