The application of telehealth procedures to provide behavioral assessment and treatment to families with young children with autism spectrum disorder in Korea

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may display challenging behaviors. Challenging behavior may influence a child’s life in a negative way. Therefore, it is important that effective treatment be provided to address challenging behaviors of children with ASD.

Previous studies have shown that telehealth consultation can be an effective and efficient method for conducting functional analysis (FA) and implementing functional communication training (FCT) with children who engage in challenging behaviors living in underserved areas of a rural state. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of conducting FA and FCT with families living in Korea using telehealth technology. In Korea, it is hard for parents whose child engages in challenging behavior to gain access to behavior therapists who can provide behavior analytic services. This study was designed to test whether telehealth technology could be used to conduct FA and FCT from the U.S. to persons in another country (Korea) with limited access to ABA services.

The participants were five young children living in Korea who had ASD and who engaged in challenging behaviors. A behavior analyst provided behavioral coaching to the participants’ mothers via telehealth during weekly one hour visits as they conducted all procedures of FA and FCT within their homes. Behavior assessment results show that the FA procedures identified social functions of challenging behavior for all participants. In addition, FCT treatments produced substantial reductions in problem behavior by the end of treatment for all participants. These results suggest that telehealth can be an effective and efficient way to deliver behavior analytic services for populations in countries with limited access to ABA services like Korea.