ERIC Number: EJ1303588
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Aug
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-3613
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Short Report on Research Trends during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Use of Telehealth Interventions and Remote Brain Research in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Su, Wan-Chun; Srinivasan, Sudha; Cleffi, Corina; Bhat, Anjana
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, v25 n6 p1816-1822 Aug 2021
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery of face-to-face (F2F) therapeutic interventions and neuroimaging assessments for children with autism spectrum disorder has been disrupted. To resume interventions and assessments, many services are now using telehealth-based online platforms. Using the Zoom conferencing platform, our research group has been providing creative play-based interventions to school-age children with autism spectrum disorder. The feedback on this telehealth intervention experience has been generally positive (mean satisfaction score: 4.4 on a 5-point Likert-type scoring range) and our preliminary data from six children with autism spectrum disorder suggest training-related improvements in gross motor, balance, and imitation skills. Despite the positive results, it remains to be explored if the effects of telehealth interventions are similar to those of F2F interventions. Neuroimaging techniques could provide objective measures of intervention effects. However, this will require researchers to resume neuroimaging research while adopting safe public health protocols to control the risk of COVID-19 transmission. In this short report, we summarize existing safety protocols for F2F neuroimaging research, our own experiences of safely conducting alternative, on-site and off-site neuroimaging data collection, as well as the potential opportunities of using online data sharing and low-cost, remote neuroimaging/electrophysiological techniques to continue brain research during the pandemic.
Descriptors: COVID-19, Pandemics, Telecommunications, Access to Health Care, Intervention, Brain, Research, Children, Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Videoconferencing, Play, Safety, Data Collection, Diagnostic Tests, Access to Information
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (DHHS); National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH//DHHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1S10OD02153401; P20GM103446; U54GM104941
Author Affiliations: N/A